The artist has handed over the full amount of his £25,000 honor winnings to the trust for venues, which functions to save the United Kingdom's grassroots music venues.
He was given the prize on 16 October as his third album the album was chosen as the outstanding release of the past year.
The musician has chosen to hand the money over to the MVT, in appreciation of the vital role grassroots venues played in his beginning days.
"As an artist would not have achieved my current career if it hadn't been for all the gigs I did around the North East, and beyond, when I was starting out," remarked Sam Fender. "These spaces are renowned, but they are struggling."
Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these locations have shut down – roughly 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
In the last year, top acts like the band Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its efforts to help venues survive, by applying a modest fee to their admission fees, which supports smaller concert halls.
He also participated, generating over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to assist numerous grassroots venues across the UK.
The money helped venues that were dealing with potential shutdown due to challenges caused by floods, blazes and family tragedies, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and sound issues.
Some locations received financial assistance in improving infrastructure and technical equipment that directly benefitted artists and audiences.
"The concept that revenue from shows in large arenas supports the independent spots, where it all starts for artists like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has said.
The musician is not the first artist to contribute his Mercury Prize prize money to charitable organizations.
When Pulp earned the trophy in 1996 for their release the album, lead singer Cocker declared that the group would give their winnings to the organization War Child.
During 2002, rapper and singer she divided her award between several organizations, like the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.
"And I donated a grand to my local community centre, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they required updated gear," she told outlets.
In recent years, they contributed their winnings to the community center that supported their band, as well as other grassroots music organisations.
Also the 1994 recipients M People contributed their award to a MS organization after a friend was identified with the illness.
"Receiving the award was sufficient," stated singer Small. "The cash was the extra but we could do without the extra, because we had the main prize. So our success touched the lives of others."
In the past week, the Music Venues Trust announced it had protected several local spots in that region, by bringing them into public stewardship.
The first in that area and the other in that location were purchased under the community ownership program, which is supported by the arts council and supporters who purchase "stakes" in the properties.
