Sam Fender has donated the full amount of his £25k honor winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which works to save the UK's small music venues.
He was awarded the award on mid-October as his latest record the album was named the best record of the past year.
The musician has decided to donate the funds to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the vital role grassroots venues played in his beginning days.
"As an artist couldn't be pursuing my current career if it hadn't been for all the performances I played around the area, and beyond, when I was starting out," said Fender. "These locations are renowned, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these locations have ceased operations – about 16% of the total UK scene.
Over the past year, top acts like the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by adding a small levy to their ticket prices, which benefits independent venues.
He also took part, collecting more than £100,000 on his live tour to support numerous local spots across Britain.
The donation assisted venues that were dealing with possible closure due to challenges caused by water damage, blazes and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and neighbor objections.
Other venues received financial assistance in improving amenities and gear that positively impacted musicians and concertgoers.
"The idea that funds from performances in big venues helps the smaller venues, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just logical," the star has stated.
The musician is far from the only musician to donate his Mercury Prize prize money to worthy causes.
When they earned the award in 1996 for their record Different Class, lead singer Cocker announced that the group would contribute their prize money to the non-profit the charity.
In 2002, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite split her award across several organizations, including the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"Additionally, I gave a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed new equipment," the artist told a publication.
Two years ago, they contributed their winnings to the community center that supported their group, as well as other grassroots music organisations.
And winners that year M People donated their prize to a MS organization after a close contact was diagnosed the disease.
"Winning was ample," stated artist the singer. "The prize was the extra but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the honor. So our winning impacted another person's life."
In the past week, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had saved several local spots in south-east England, by bringing them into public stewardship.
The Joiners in that area and The Croft in that location were purchased under the public acquisition program, which is funded by the arts council and supporters who purchase "ownership units" in the properties.
