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The star has donated the complete sum of his £25k honor winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to preserve the UK's grassroots live music spots.

He was presented with the cheque on mid-October as his new release the album was declared the best record of the last 12 months.

The musician has opted to hand the money over to the MVT, in appreciation of the vital role grassroots venues played in his beginning days.

"I personally would not have achieved what I am doing today if it wasn't for all the gigs I performed around the North East, and beyond, when I was just getting going," remarked Fender. "These spaces are renowned, but they are facing challenges."

Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these venues have shut down – about one-sixth of the entire UK sector.

Over the past year, major artists such as Pulp, the group Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the trust in its efforts to support the industry, by applying a small levy to their ticket costs, which supports independent venues.

He also took part, collecting more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to support thirty-eight grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.

The money helped locations that were dealing with possible closure due to challenges caused by water damage, fires and personal losses, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and sound issues.

Additional spaces obtained funding support in upgrading infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted musicians and concertgoers.

"The notion that revenue from shows in major spaces backs the independent spots, where it begins for musicians like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has stated.

He is not the first artist to give his Mercury Prize winnings to good deeds.

In Pulp earned the prize in the year 1996 for their release Different Class, vocalist Jarvis Cocker declared that the group would give their prize money to the non-profit War Child.

During 2002, musician the artist shared her award among a few good causes, like the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"I also contributed a grand to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they lacked better apparatus," she explained to outlets.

Two years ago, they donated their prize money to the community center that supported their band, alongside other grassroots music organisations.

Also 1994 winners they gave their prize to a MS organization after a acquaintance was found to have the condition.

"Receiving the award was quite enough," remarked singer Small. "The cash was the bonus but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the cake. So our success touched somebody else's life."

In the past week, the trust shared it had rescued two grassroots venues in the South East, by transferring them to community ownership.

The Joiners in the city and The Croft in Bristol were bought under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is funded by Arts Council England and supporters who acquire "stakes" in the venues.