The musician gives £25,000 Mercury Prize to grassroots concert halls
The artist has donated the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound honor cash to the trust for venues, which operates to protect the United Kingdom's grassroots music venues.
Fender was presented with the award on mid-October as his latest record the album was chosen as the outstanding release of the last 12 months.
The musician has opted to hand the money over to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the vital role grassroots venues played in his early career.
"As an artist would not have achieved my current career if it weren't for all the performances I did around the region, and beyond, when I was starting out," said Sam Fender. "These venues are renowned, but they are struggling."
From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these spaces have shut down – about one-sixth of the entire UK sector.
Recently, major artists like Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the trust in its initiatives to support the industry, by adding a modest fee to their ticket prices, which benefits independent venues.
Sam Fender also participated, collecting over £100k on his recent tour to support 38 small stages across the UK.
The donation helped venues that were facing potential shutdown due to challenges stemming from water damage, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as licensing issues, conflicts and noise complaints.
Other venues were granted financial assistance in upgrading amenities and gear that helped artists and concertgoers.
"The idea that funds from shows in large arenas helps the smaller venues, where it begins for musicians like me, is just logical," Fender has said.
He is not the first artist to give his award prize money to charitable organizations.
In Pulp received the award in the mid-90s for their release Different Class, lead singer Jarvis Cocker declared that the group would contribute their cash to the non-profit War Child.
In 2002, artist the artist split her prize between multiple good causes, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"And I donated a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked better apparatus," Ms Dynamite told the media.
Two years ago, Ezra Collective donated their winnings to the youth organization that developed their group, alongside other local music groups.
Also winners that year the group donated their award to a MS organization after a acquaintance was found to have the condition.
"The victory was sufficient," said singer Small. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the cake. So our victory impacted another person's life."
Recently, the trust announced it had saved two grassroots venues in that region, by bringing them into community ownership.
The first in the city and the second in the city were bought under the community ownership program, which is funded by a national body and enthusiasts who acquire "ownership units" in the buildings.