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The artist has handed over the full amount of his £25,000 honor cash to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to protect the UK's small live music spots.

Fender was given the cheque on October 16 as his new release his work was declared the top album of the previous year.

The musician has opted to hand the money over to the MVT, in appreciation of the crucial part local spots played in his early career.

"I wouldn't be doing my current career if it wasn't for all the shows I performed around the region, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," said the artist. "These venues are iconic, but they are facing challenges."

Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these venues have permanently closed – approximately one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.

Over the past year, well-known musicians including Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by including a modest fee to their admission fees, which supports independent venues.

He also participated, raising more than £100,000 on his live tour to assist numerous grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.

These funds supported locations that were confronting possible closure due to challenges arising from floods, fires and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, court cases and noise complaints.

Some locations obtained financial assistance in modernizing infrastructure and gear that helped performers and concertgoers.

"The notion that money from concerts in major spaces helps the local stages, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has said.

He is far from the only musician to contribute his Mercury Prize funds to charitable organizations.

In Pulp earned the award in the mid-90s for their record the album, frontman the singer declared that the band would give their cash to the non-profit War Child.

During 2002, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite divided her bounty between multiple good causes, including the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"I also gave a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they required better apparatus," she shared with a publication.

Two years ago, the band contributed their winnings to the community center that developed their band, alongside other independent music bodies.

And the 1994 recipients they donated their award to a charity for MS after a friend was diagnosed the condition.

"Receiving the award was sufficient," stated singer Heather Small. "The cash was the bonus but we could do without the bonus, because we had the honor. So our winning touched the lives of others."

Last week, the trust announced it had saved a couple of local spots in the South East, by bringing them into community ownership.

One venue in the city and the second in the city were acquired under the Own Our Venues program, which is supported by a national body and music fans who buy "ownership units" in the properties.