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The artist has handed over the complete sum of his £25,000 honor prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which works to preserve the Britain's grassroots live music spots.

Fender was presented with the award on 16 October as his latest record his work was named the outstanding release of the past year.

The musician has decided to give the cash to the trust, in recognition of the essential function local spots fulfilled in his beginning days.

"I personally couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the gigs I performed around the area, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," said the artist. "These locations are iconic, but they are struggling."

From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these venues have ceased operations – about 16% of the entire UK sector.

In the last year, major artists like Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the trust in its attempts to support the industry, by including a minor surcharge to their admission fees, which supports smaller concert halls.

Fender also participated, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to assist thirty-eight grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.

The donation helped venues that were facing imminent closure due to challenges arising from flooding, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as permit problems, conflicts and neighbor objections.

Some locations received financial assistance in upgrading amenities and gear that directly benefitted musicians and concertgoers.

"The notion that money from performances in major spaces backs the smaller venues, where it begins for performers like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has said.

The musician is not the first artist to give his Mercury Prize funds to good deeds.

When the band earned the award in 1996 for their release Different Class, lead singer the singer declared that the act would give their winnings to the organization the charity.

During 2002, rapper and singer the artist split her award among multiple good causes, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"I also gave a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked new equipment," she explained to a publication.

In recent years, the band gave their winnings to the youth organization that developed their group, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.

Also 1994 winners the group gave their winnings to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was diagnosed the condition.

"The victory was ample," said artist Small. "The prize was the cherry on top but we could do without the extra, because we had the honor. So our victory touched the lives of others."

Last week, the MVT shared it had saved several grassroots venues in the South East, by transferring them to community ownership.

The first in Southampton and the other in Bristol were bought under the community ownership scheme, which is backed by a national body and enthusiasts who acquire "stakes" in the properties.