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The artist has donated the full amount of his £25,000 Mercury Prize winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to save the UK's independent concert spaces.

He was given the cheque on mid-October as his third album his work was declared the top album of the last 12 months.

The musician has opted to donate the funds to the MVT, in appreciation of the essential function grassroots venues played in his early career.

"As an artist would not have achieved this success if it weren't for all the shows I performed around the area, and beyond, when I was starting out," said Fender. "These venues are iconic, but they are struggling."

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

Over the past year, well-known musicians including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the MVT in its efforts to support the industry, by applying a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which supports local stages.

He also took part, raising over £100k on his recent tour to assist numerous grassroots venues across the UK.

These funds helped locations that were confronting possible closure due to challenges arising from flooding, blazes and bereavements, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and sound issues.

Some locations were granted financial assistance in improving infrastructure and technical equipment that helped artists and fans.

"The concept that money from performances in big venues backs the independent spots, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has said.

Fender is not the first artist to give his Mercury Prize funds to worthy causes.

In they earned the trophy in 1996 for their album the album, vocalist Jarvis Cocker announced that the act would contribute their winnings to the organization War Child.

That year, artist the artist shared her bounty among several organizations, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.

"And I contributed a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they required better apparatus," she shared with a publication.

Two years ago, they donated their prize money to the youth organization that supported their group, alongside other grassroots music organisations.

Also the 1994 recipients the group contributed their prize to a MS organization after a friend was found to have the condition.

"Receiving the award was ample," remarked singer Small. "The money was the extra but we didn't require the extra, because we had the honor. So our success impacted the lives of others."

Recently, the trust revealed it had rescued two small stages in south-east England, by transferring them to public stewardship.

The first in the city and the second in Bristol were acquired under the community ownership initiative, which is funded by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who buy "shares" in the venues.