Sam Fender has donated the full amount of his £25k Mercury Prize cash to the trust for venues, which works to save the UK's small concert spaces.
He was awarded the cheque on mid-October as his new release People Watching was declared the outstanding release of the past year.
Fender has opted to give the cash to the MVT, in recognition of the crucial part grassroots venues played in his early career.
"As an artist couldn't be pursuing my current career if it wasn't for all the performances I did around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," said Fender. "These locations are renowned, but they are facing challenges."
Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these locations have permanently closed – approximately 16% of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, top acts including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which goes to help local stages.
Sam Fender also joined in, generating in excess of £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to support thirty-eight grassroots venues across the UK.
The money assisted venues that were dealing with possible closure due to challenges stemming from water damage, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as permit problems, court cases and neighbor objections.
Additional spaces obtained monetary aid in upgrading amenities and technical equipment that helped artists and fans.
"The idea that money from shows in big venues supports the local stages, where it kicks off for performers like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has stated.
Fender is not the first artist to give his Mercury Prize winnings to charitable organizations.
Back when they won the award in the mid-90s for their record the album, vocalist Jarvis Cocker declared that the group would contribute their winnings to the charity War Child.
That year, musician the artist divided her bounty across several good causes, including the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.
"Additionally, I donated a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked new equipment," she explained to the media.
Previously, they gave their prize money to the community center that developed their band, in addition to other local music groups.
Additionally the 1994 recipients they gave their winnings to a charity for MS after a close contact was found to have the illness.
"Winning was quite enough," remarked vocalist the singer. "The money was the extra but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our victory touched another person's life."
Recently, the MVT revealed it had protected two grassroots venues in south-east England, by bringing them into community ownership.
The Joiners in Southampton and The Croft in the city were bought under the community ownership scheme, which is supported by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who purchase "stakes" in the venues.
