Sam Fender has donated the full amount of his £25k Mercury Prize cash to the trust for venues, which functions to protect the UK's grassroots music venues.
Fender was given the prize on mid-October as his new release his work was named the top album of the past year.
The musician has decided to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the vital role local spots had in his beginning days.
"As an artist wouldn't be doing my current career if it hadn't been for all the gigs I played around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," remarked the artist. "These spaces are legendary, but they are struggling."
Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these venues have ceased operations – approximately one-sixth of the total UK scene.
In the last year, major artists including Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to help venues survive, by applying a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which benefits independent venues.
He also took part, generating over £100k on his recent tour to help numerous local spots across Britain.
These funds supported locations that were dealing with possible closure due to difficulties caused by floods, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, court cases and sound issues.
Some locations received funding support in improving facilities and sound and lighting systems that helped artists and fans.
"The notion that revenue from performances in big venues supports the smaller venues, where it all starts for performers like me, is just logical," the star has said.
The musician is not the first artist to contribute his Mercury Prize prize money to charitable organizations.
Back when the band received the prize in 1996 for their album the album, frontman Cocker stated that the band would donate their cash to the charity War Child.
That year, artist Ms Dynamite shared her prize between several charities, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"And I donated a £1,000 to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they required updated gear," the artist explained to the media.
Previously, the band gave their funds to the community center that supported their act, as well as other independent music bodies.
Additionally winners that year they donated their award to a MS organization after a friend was diagnosed the illness.
"The victory was quite enough," stated artist Small. "The money was the extra but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the cake. So our success impacted another person's life."
Last week, the trust revealed it had rescued two grassroots venues in south-east England, by placing them under local control.
The first in that area and the other in Bristol were purchased under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is backed by a national body and supporters who purchase "stakes" in the buildings.
