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Sam Fender has given the full amount of his £25k Mercury Prize prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to save the Britain's grassroots music venues.

Fender was presented with the award on October 16 as his latest record People Watching was chosen as the outstanding release of the past year.

The musician has decided to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the vital role local spots had in his beginning days.

"I wouldn't be doing this success if it hadn't been for all the gigs I did around the area, and beyond, when I was beginning," stated the artist. "These venues are legendary, but they are struggling."

Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these locations have shut down – approximately 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.

Recently, well-known musicians such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the trust in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by applying a modest fee to their ticket prices, which supports local stages.

He also took part, raising over £100k on his live tour to support numerous small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.

The donation supported venues that were dealing with potential shutdown due to challenges caused by flooding, fires and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and neighbor objections.

Some locations were granted monetary aid in modernizing facilities and gear that helped performers and fans.

"The notion that funds from concerts in large arenas helps the smaller venues, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just common sense," Fender has said.

Fender is far from the only musician to give his award winnings to worthy causes.

In the band received the trophy in 1996 for their release Different Class, frontman Jarvis Cocker announced that the act would contribute their prize money to the charity War Child.

That year, musician she split her prize between a few charities, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"I also contributed a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked better apparatus," she told outlets.

Previously, they contributed their prize money to the youth organization that developed their act, as well as other independent music bodies.

Additionally 1994 winners they gave their award to a MS organization after a acquaintance was identified with the disease.

"Receiving the award was ample," remarked vocalist the singer. "The money was the bonus but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the cake. So our success impacted another person's life."

Recently, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had saved a couple of grassroots venues in south-east England, by placing them under community ownership.

The Joiners in the city and the second in the city were bought under the public acquisition initiative, which is backed by the arts council and supporters who acquire "ownership units" in the venues.