The artist has donated the complete sum of his £25k Mercury Prize winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to preserve the United Kingdom's small live music spots.
The star was given the cheque on October 16 as his third album the album was named the top album of the past year.
The musician has decided to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role grassroots venues had in his early career.
"As an artist would not have achieved what I am doing today if it weren't for all the gigs I played around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," remarked the artist. "These locations are renowned, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – approximately one-sixth of the total UK scene.
In the last year, well-known musicians such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to support the industry, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which benefits independent venues.
Sam Fender also participated, generating in excess of £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to assist numerous grassroots venues across Britain.
The donation assisted venues that were confronting imminent closure due to difficulties arising from floods, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and neighbor objections.
Other venues received monetary aid in upgrading facilities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted performers and fans.
"The concept that money from performances in major spaces backs the independent spots, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just common sense," the star has said.
The musician is far from the only musician to donate his honor funds to good deeds.
Back when Pulp earned the award in the mid-90s for their album their work, lead singer the singer announced that the band would donate their prize money to the non-profit the charity.
In 2002, rapper and singer she divided her bounty among a few charities, such as the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"And I contributed a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they needed new equipment," the artist explained to a publication.
In recent years, they donated their winnings to the community center that supported their group, alongside other independent music bodies.
And the 1994 recipients the group contributed their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was found to have the disease.
"Winning was ample," remarked artist Small. "The money was the extra but we could do without the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our winning impacted somebody else's life."
In the past week, the MVT announced it had rescued two small stages in that region, by transferring them to community ownership.
The Joiners in the city and the second in that location were purchased under the community ownership initiative, which is funded by Arts Council England and music fans who buy "stakes" in the properties.
