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Sam Fender has donated the full amount of his £25k Mercury Prize cash to the MVT, which functions to preserve the Britain's grassroots live music spots.

Fender was given the award on October 16 as his third album People Watching was declared the outstanding release of the last 12 months.

He has opted to donate the funds to the trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role grassroots venues played in his initial steps.

"I personally wouldn't be doing my current career if it weren't for all the performances I performed around the region, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," stated Sam Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are in difficulty."

From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – about 16 percent of the entire UK sector.

Over the past year, top acts like Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its attempts to keep the scene afloat, by including a small levy to their ticket prices, which supports independent venues.

He also participated, generating over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to support 38 local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.

The donation supported venues that were facing possible closure due to issues stemming from floods, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, court cases and noise complaints.

Other venues were granted monetary aid in modernizing amenities and technical equipment that helped performers and concertgoers.

"The concept that revenue from shows in major spaces supports the local stages, where it all starts for performers like me, is just sensible," the star has commented.

Fender is far from the only musician to donate his honor winnings to worthy causes.

In the band won the award in the mid-90s for their record Different Class, vocalist the singer declared that the band would give their winnings to the organization War Child.

That year, rapper and singer the artist split her prize across several organizations, including the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"Additionally, I gave a £1,000 to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they needed better apparatus," the artist shared with outlets.

Two years ago, the band gave their prize money to the youth organization that nurtured their group, alongside other independent music bodies.

Also 1994 winners the group gave their winnings to a charity for MS after a close contact was diagnosed the illness.

"Receiving the award was ample," said artist the singer. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our winning impacted another person's life."

Last week, the trust revealed it had protected several small stages in the South East, by placing them under community ownership.

The first in Southampton and the second in that location were bought under the public acquisition scheme, which is backed by the arts council and enthusiasts who purchase "stakes" in the properties.