The artist has handed over the full amount of his twenty-five thousand pound honor prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to protect the United Kingdom's small music venues.
Fender was awarded the award on mid-October as his new release the album was chosen as the top album of the previous year.
The musician has decided to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the crucial part local spots had in his initial steps.
"I personally couldn't be pursuing my current career if it weren't for all the performances I played around the area, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," remarked Sam Fender. "These locations are renowned, but they are facing challenges."
Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these venues have ceased operations – about 16% of the entire UK sector.
In the last year, top acts like Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to help venues survive, by applying a small levy to their admission fees, which goes to help independent venues.
Fender also participated, raising more than £100,000 on his live tour to help 38 grassroots venues across Britain.
These funds helped spaces that were facing possible closure due to difficulties stemming from floods, fires and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and neighbor objections.
Other venues received monetary aid in improving amenities and gear that directly benefitted performers and fans.
"The concept that money from shows in large arenas backs the local stages, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has commented.
The musician is far from the only musician to donate his Mercury Prize prize money to good deeds.
In the band earned the prize in the mid-90s for their album their work, frontman Cocker announced that the act would contribute their prize money to the non-profit the charity.
In 2002, musician she shared her prize among a few charities, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"I also contributed a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed new equipment," the artist explained to a publication.
In recent years, Ezra Collective gave their winnings to the local youth club that developed their band, in addition to other local music groups.
Additionally 1994 winners M People contributed their prize to a MS organization after a acquaintance was diagnosed the illness.
"Receiving the award was ample," remarked artist the singer. "The prize was the cherry on top but we could do without the extra, because we had the main prize. So our winning impacted another person's life."
Recently, the MVT revealed it had saved a couple of small stages in that region, by placing them under public stewardship.
The first in the city and the other in that location were bought under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is supported by Arts Council England and music fans who acquire "shares" in the venues.
