Sam Fender has given the full amount of his £25k award prize money to the MVT, which operates to protect the UK's small live music spots.
He was awarded the award on mid-October as his new release the album was named the best record of the last 12 months.
Fender has opted to hand the money over to the MVT, in appreciation of the vital role local spots played in his beginning days.
"I wouldn't be doing my current career if it wasn't for all the shows I performed around the North East, and beyond, when I was starting out," remarked the artist. "These locations are renowned, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these locations have ceased operations – about 16 percent of the entire UK sector.
Over the past year, top acts like the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the trust in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by including a modest fee to their ticket costs, which benefits smaller concert halls.
Fender also took part, raising in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to help 38 grassroots venues across Britain.
The money assisted spaces that were confronting possible closure due to challenges stemming from floods, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and neighbor objections.
Other venues were granted monetary aid in modernizing facilities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted artists and fans.
"The notion that funds from performances in major spaces helps the smaller venues, where it begins for performers like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has said.
Fender is not the first artist to donate his Mercury Prize winnings to charitable organizations.
In they earned the trophy in the mid-90s for their album their work, lead singer Cocker declared that the group would contribute their prize money to the charity War Child.
During 2002, artist Ms Dynamite divided her award among a few charities, like the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.
"I also donated a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they needed updated gear," the artist shared with a publication.
In recent years, the band gave their funds to the local youth club that nurtured their act, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.
Additionally 1994 winners M People contributed their award to a charity for MS after a close contact was found to have the condition.
"Receiving the award was ample," stated vocalist the singer. "The cash was the extra but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our success touched the lives of others."
Last week, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had rescued several grassroots venues in that region, by placing them under community ownership.
One venue in that area and the second in the city were bought under the public acquisition initiative, which is funded by a national body and supporters who acquire "stakes" in the buildings.
