Sam Fender has given the entirety of his £25,000 award winnings to the trust for venues, which functions to save the United Kingdom's grassroots concert spaces.
The star was given the award on 16 October as his third album People Watching was declared the outstanding release of the past year.
The musician has opted to donate the funds to the trust, in recognition of the vital role local spots had in his early career.
"I personally couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it weren't for all the shows I performed around the North East, and further afield, when I was just getting going," said Sam Fender. "These spaces are renowned, but they are struggling."
Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these venues have shut down – about 16% of the total UK scene.
Over the past year, well-known musicians including the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the trust in its efforts to help venues survive, by including a small levy to their ticket costs, which goes to help local stages.
Fender also participated, raising in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to assist numerous grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.
These funds assisted spaces that were confronting possible closure due to challenges arising from flooding, blazes and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, conflicts and neighbor objections.
Additional spaces obtained monetary aid in modernizing infrastructure and gear that helped artists and audiences.
"The notion that money from performances in big venues helps the local stages, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just common sense," the star has commented.
The musician is among several artists to donate his Mercury Prize funds to good deeds.
When the band received the trophy in the mid-90s for their release Different Class, vocalist Cocker announced that the band would contribute their winnings to the charity War Child.
That year, musician she shared her bounty among a few organizations, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"I also donated a £1,000 to the center, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they needed updated gear," she told a publication.
Previously, the band donated their winnings to the community center that supported their band, alongside other grassroots music organisations.
And 1994 winners the group contributed their award to a charity for MS after a friend was diagnosed the illness.
"The victory was ample," stated artist the singer. "The cash was the cherry on top but we didn't need the extra, because we had the cake. So our success affected another person's life."
Last week, the Music Venues Trust shared it had saved two local spots in south-east England, by bringing them into community ownership.
The Joiners in that area and the second in the city were acquired under the community ownership scheme, which is backed by the arts council and enthusiasts who acquire "stakes" in the buildings.
