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The star has handed over the entirety of his £25k Mercury Prize prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to preserve the United Kingdom's grassroots concert spaces.

Fender was awarded the award on October 16 as his third album People Watching was named the outstanding release of the last 12 months.

The musician has decided to donate the funds to the MVT, in recognition of the crucial part grassroots venues played in his beginning days.

"I personally would not have achieved my current career if it hadn't been for all the gigs I did around the North East, and beyond, when I was starting out," stated Sam Fender. "These venues are iconic, but they are facing challenges."

Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – roughly one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.

Recently, top acts including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to help venues survive, by including a minor surcharge to their admission fees, which goes to help local stages.

Sam Fender also joined in, raising over £100k on his recent tour to support thirty-eight small stages across Britain.

The donation supported spaces that were facing imminent closure due to issues caused by water damage, blazes and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and sound issues.

Other venues were granted financial assistance in modernizing amenities and gear that positively impacted performers and fans.

"The notion that funds from performances in major spaces backs the independent spots, where it all starts for performers like me, is just sensible," Fender has said.

He is far from the only musician to contribute his Mercury Prize funds to good deeds.

Back when the band earned the prize in the year 1996 for their record the album, vocalist Cocker declared that the act would donate their cash to the organization the charity.

In 2002, rapper and singer she shared her award across a few charities, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"Additionally, I donated a £1,000 to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked new equipment," she shared with a publication.

In recent years, they donated their prize money to the youth organization that nurtured their band, in addition to other independent music bodies.

Additionally 1994 winners M People gave their winnings to a MS organization after a acquaintance was diagnosed the condition.

"Winning was quite enough," said vocalist Heather Small. "The cash was the cherry on top but we could do without the extra, because we had the cake. So our victory touched somebody else's life."

In the past week, the MVT announced it had rescued several grassroots venues in south-east England, by placing them under public stewardship.

The Joiners in the city and the other in that location were acquired under the community ownership initiative, which is funded by the arts council and supporters who acquire "ownership units" in the buildings.