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The artist has donated the full amount of his £25k honor cash to the Music Venues Trust, which works to save the UK's grassroots music venues.

He was given the prize on mid-October as his latest record People Watching was declared the best record of the previous year.

He has chosen to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the crucial part small stages played in his beginning days.

"As an artist would not have achieved my current career if it weren't for all the performances I did around the North East, and further afield, when I was starting out," stated Fender. "These spaces are renowned, but they are in difficulty."

Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – roughly one-sixth of the entire UK sector.

Recently, well-known musicians such as Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the trust in its initiatives to support the industry, by including a minor surcharge to their admission fees, which benefits local stages.

Sam Fender also participated, collecting more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to support thirty-eight small stages across Britain.

The donation helped venues that were facing potential shutdown due to challenges arising from flooding, blazes and bereavements, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and neighbor objections.

Other venues received monetary aid in improving infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that helped musicians and audiences.

"The idea that money from performances in large arenas backs the smaller venues, where it begins for musicians like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has said.

He is far from the only musician to donate his Mercury Prize winnings to worthy causes.

In Pulp received the prize in the year 1996 for their record their work, vocalist Jarvis Cocker announced that the band would donate their cash to the charity the charity.

During 2002, artist the artist divided her award between a few charities, such as the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.

"Additionally, I donated a £1,000 to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed new equipment," she told a publication.

In recent years, they donated their prize money to the community center that nurtured their act, alongside other grassroots music organisations.

Additionally the 1994 recipients M People contributed their winnings to a MS organization after a acquaintance was found to have the illness.

"Winning was quite enough," said artist Heather Small. "The cash was the bonus but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the honor. So our victory touched the lives of others."

Last week, the MVT shared it had saved two grassroots venues in that region, by placing them under community ownership.

One venue in the city and the other in Bristol were bought under the community ownership initiative, which is supported by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who acquire "shares" in the venues.