Sam Fender has donated the entirety of his £25k honor winnings to the trust for venues, which operates to save the Britain's independent concert spaces.
He was awarded the cheque on mid-October as his third album People Watching was chosen as the outstanding release of the last 12 months.
Fender has decided to donate the funds to the trust, in recognition of the essential function small stages had in his early career.
"As an artist wouldn't be doing this success if it wasn't for all the performances I played around the area, and beyond, when I was starting out," remarked the artist. "These locations are legendary, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these locations have shut down – approximately 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
In the last year, major artists such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the trust in its attempts to help venues survive, by adding a modest fee to their ticket prices, which supports local stages.
Sam Fender also participated, collecting over £100k on his recent tour to help 38 local spots across Britain.
The donation assisted spaces that were confronting possible closure due to difficulties stemming from floods, blazes and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, conflicts and noise complaints.
Some locations obtained financial assistance in improving amenities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted performers and fans.
"The idea that revenue from concerts in big venues helps the local stages, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just sensible," the star has commented.
The musician is not the first artist to donate his Mercury Prize funds to worthy causes.
When Pulp won the prize in the mid-90s for their album Different Class, frontman the singer declared that the act would give their cash to the non-profit War Child.
That year, musician the artist shared her bounty among multiple charities, including the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"I also gave a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they required updated gear," she told the media.
Previously, Ezra Collective contributed their funds to the local youth club that developed their band, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.
Additionally 1994 winners the group contributed their award to a charity for MS after a close contact was found to have the disease.
"The victory was sufficient," stated singer the singer. "The cash was the bonus but we could do without the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our winning touched somebody else's life."
Last week, the MVT revealed it had saved several grassroots venues in that region, by transferring them to community ownership.
The first in that area and The Croft in that location were purchased under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is funded by a national body and enthusiasts who acquire "stakes" in the venues.
