Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his £25,000 honor cash to the trust for venues, which functions to save the United Kingdom's grassroots music venues.
He was given the award on October 16 as his latest record the album was chosen as the top album of the previous year.
Fender has decided to give the cash to the MVT, in recognition of the crucial part local spots fulfilled in his initial steps.
"I couldn't be pursuing this success if it wasn't for all the performances I performed around the North East, and beyond, when I was starting out," remarked Fender. "These spaces are legendary, but they are struggling."
From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these venues have shut down – about 16 percent of the entire UK sector.
Recently, major artists like the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the trust in its attempts to support the industry, by including a small levy to their ticket prices, which benefits local stages.
He also joined in, collecting more than £100,000 on his live tour to help numerous small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.
These funds supported spaces that were facing potential shutdown due to challenges caused by floods, fires and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, court cases and sound issues.
Other venues were granted financial assistance in upgrading facilities and technical equipment that directly benefitted performers and concertgoers.
"The idea that funds from performances in major spaces backs the independent spots, where it all starts for artists like me, is just common sense," Fender has stated.
He is far from the only musician to donate his Mercury Prize winnings to charitable organizations.
In the band earned the trophy in the year 1996 for their release Different Class, vocalist Jarvis Cocker declared that the group would donate their prize money to the charity the charity.
That year, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite divided her award across a few charities, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"I also gave a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed new equipment," Ms Dynamite told a publication.
Two years ago, Ezra Collective contributed their funds to the local youth club that nurtured their band, as well as other independent music bodies.
And the 1994 recipients they donated their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a friend was found to have the illness.
"Receiving the award was sufficient," remarked vocalist Small. "The cash was the cherry on top but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the honor. So our success affected the lives of others."
Recently, the MVT revealed it had saved several local spots in the South East, by transferring them to local control.
The Joiners in that area and the other in Bristol were acquired under the public acquisition program, which is backed by a national body and music fans who acquire "shares" in the properties.
