Sam Fender has handed over the entirety of his £25k honor winnings to the trust for venues, which functions to save the UK's independent live music spots.
Fender was given the award on 16 October as his third album his work was chosen as the top album of the previous year.
The musician has chosen to give the cash to the MVT, in recognition of the essential function grassroots venues fulfilled in his beginning days.
"As an artist would not have achieved my current career if it wasn't for all the shows I did around the region, and further afield, when I was just getting going," remarked Sam Fender. "These venues are renowned, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – roughly one-sixth of the total UK scene.
Over the past year, top acts such as the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its attempts to support the industry, by applying a minor surcharge to their admission fees, which supports smaller concert halls.
Fender also took part, collecting more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to help 38 grassroots venues across the UK.
These funds assisted venues that were dealing with potential shutdown due to issues caused by flooding, blazes and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and sound issues.
Other venues received funding support in improving infrastructure and technical equipment that positively impacted performers and audiences.
"The idea that money from performances in major spaces backs the independent spots, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has commented.
The musician is far from the only musician to give his Mercury Prize prize money to worthy causes.
When Pulp won the award in the year 1996 for their record the album, vocalist Jarvis Cocker stated that the group would give their cash to the organization the charity.
In 2002, artist she shared her award among a few organizations, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"Additionally, I contributed a £1,000 to the center, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked new equipment," she shared with the media.
In recent years, the band gave their funds to the community center that nurtured their act, alongside other local music groups.
Additionally the 1994 recipients M People gave their prize to a charity for MS after a close contact was identified with the condition.
"The victory was ample," stated artist the singer. "The money was the bonus but we could do without the bonus, because we had the cake. So our winning touched another person's life."
Recently, the trust shared it had rescued two grassroots venues in that region, by transferring them to local control.
The first in Southampton and The Croft in the city were acquired under the community ownership initiative, which is backed by the arts council and supporters who acquire "ownership units" in the properties.
