Sam Fender has handed over the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound honor winnings to the trust for venues, which operates to protect the United Kingdom's small music venues.
The star was given the cheque on October 16 as his latest record his work was declared the outstanding release of the previous year.
He has decided to hand the money over to the MVT, in recognition of the vital role grassroots venues played in his beginning days.
"I personally wouldn't be doing this success if it wasn't for all the gigs I did around the North East, and further afield, when I was starting out," stated Sam Fender. "These locations are renowned, but they are struggling."
Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these venues have ceased operations – roughly 16% of the entire UK sector.
Recently, major artists including Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its attempts to keep the scene afloat, by including a small levy to their admission fees, which supports independent venues.
He also participated, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to support thirty-eight small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money supported venues that were confronting imminent closure due to challenges arising from flooding, fires and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and noise complaints.
Additional spaces obtained funding support in upgrading amenities and technical equipment that positively impacted performers and fans.
"The notion that funds from shows in major spaces supports the local stages, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just common sense," Fender has said.
He is not the first artist to donate his Mercury Prize prize money to good deeds.
When the band won the award in the year 1996 for their album Different Class, vocalist Cocker stated that the band would donate their cash to the organization War Child.
During 2002, artist the artist split her bounty across a few charities, such as the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"And I donated a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked better apparatus," the artist explained to outlets.
Previously, they contributed their winnings to the youth organization that nurtured their act, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.
And winners that year the group gave their award to a MS organization after a friend was identified with the illness.
"Winning was ample," remarked vocalist Heather Small. "The cash was the bonus but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the honor. So our winning impacted another person's life."
In the past week, the MVT revealed it had saved several grassroots venues in that region, by bringing them into community ownership.
One venue in the city and The Croft in that location were purchased under the Own Our Venues program, which is funded by Arts Council England and music fans who acquire "stakes" in the buildings.
