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The star has donated the complete sum of his £25k Mercury Prize prize money to the MVT, which operates to protect the UK's small live music spots.

He was given the award on mid-October as his latest record his work was chosen as the best record of the previous year.

He has opted to hand the money over to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the essential function small stages played in his initial steps.

"I couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it weren't for all the performances I did around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," said Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are in difficulty."

Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these spaces have shut down – about one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.

Recently, major artists like Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by including a modest fee to their ticket costs, which benefits local stages.

Sam Fender also participated, generating over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to help 38 small stages across Britain.

These funds helped spaces that were confronting imminent closure due to difficulties caused by floods, blazes and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and neighbor objections.

Additional spaces obtained monetary aid in improving amenities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted musicians and fans.

"The concept that funds from performances in large arenas helps the smaller venues, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has stated.

He is not the first artist to give his Mercury Prize winnings to good deeds.

Back when Pulp won the prize in 1996 for their release the album, vocalist the singer announced that the group would donate their prize money to the charity War Child.

That year, artist the artist split her bounty between multiple good causes, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"Additionally, I donated a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked new equipment," the artist explained to a publication.

Two years ago, they gave their prize money to the local youth club that supported their group, as well as other local music groups.

And the 1994 recipients they donated their award to a MS organization after a friend was identified with the illness.

"Winning was quite enough," stated artist Small. "The cash was the extra but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our success impacted another person's life."

Last week, the MVT announced it had protected two small stages in that region, by transferring them to community ownership.

One venue in that area and The Croft in the city were acquired under the community ownership initiative, which is supported by Arts Council England and music fans who purchase "ownership units" in the venues.