The artist has donated the complete sum of his £25k Mercury Prize cash to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to preserve the Britain's grassroots live music spots.
The star was given the cheque on 16 October as his third album People Watching was declared the outstanding release of the previous year.
He has opted to donate the funds to the trust, in acknowledgment of the crucial part grassroots venues had in his initial steps.
"I couldn't be pursuing this success if it wasn't for all the shows I played around the area, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," remarked the artist. "These spaces are legendary, but they are struggling."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these venues have shut down – approximately one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.
Recently, well-known musicians including the band Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the trust in its efforts to help venues survive, by applying a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which supports local stages.
Sam Fender also took part, collecting over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to help thirty-eight small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The donation assisted spaces that were dealing with potential shutdown due to difficulties stemming from water damage, blazes and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, court cases and neighbor objections.
Other venues obtained funding support in modernizing facilities and technical equipment that positively impacted performers and fans.
"The idea that revenue from shows in big venues backs the smaller venues, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just common sense," the star has said.
Fender is among several artists to give his Mercury Prize winnings to good deeds.
When they received the trophy in 1996 for their record the album, frontman Cocker stated that the band would give their winnings to the charity War Child.
That year, artist she divided her prize across several organizations, including the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"Additionally, I donated a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked new equipment," she explained to the media.
Previously, Ezra Collective contributed their funds to the youth organization that developed their group, alongside other grassroots music organisations.
Also winners that year they gave their prize to a MS organization after a close contact was identified with the disease.
"The victory was sufficient," remarked vocalist the singer. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't need the extra, because we had the cake. So our success affected somebody else's life."
Recently, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had rescued several grassroots venues in that region, by bringing them into public stewardship.
The first in that area and the second in that location were purchased under the public acquisition scheme, which is funded by Arts Council England and supporters who buy "shares" in the properties.
