🔗 Share this article

Sam Fender has given the full amount of his £25k honor prize money to the MVT, which functions to protect the United Kingdom's small concert spaces.

Fender was awarded the award on 16 October as his third album his work was chosen as the outstanding release of the previous year.

He has chosen to give the cash to the trust, in recognition of the vital role grassroots venues fulfilled in his initial steps.

"I couldn't be pursuing this success if it wasn't for all the shows I did around the region, and further afield, when I was beginning," remarked the artist. "These spaces are renowned, but they are struggling."

Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these locations have permanently closed – about 16% of the whole industry in the UK.

Recently, well-known musicians like Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by including a modest fee to their ticket prices, which supports smaller concert halls.

He also joined in, collecting over £100k on his live tour to assist thirty-eight grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.

The money supported venues that were confronting imminent closure due to challenges arising from flooding, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and sound issues.

Other venues were granted financial assistance in upgrading infrastructure and gear that directly benefitted artists and audiences.

"The idea that funds from shows in major spaces backs the independent spots, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just logical," Fender has said.

The musician is among several artists to donate his Mercury Prize prize money to charitable organizations.

Back when Pulp earned the trophy in the mid-90s for their release Different Class, lead singer the singer announced that the act would donate their prize money to the non-profit the charity.

That year, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite shared her bounty across a few charities, such as the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"I also donated a £1,000 to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they needed new equipment," she shared with outlets.

In recent years, Ezra Collective contributed their funds to the community center that supported their group, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.

Also the 1994 recipients the group donated their prize to a charity for MS after a close contact was found to have the condition.

"Winning was ample," said singer the singer. "The money was the cherry on top but we didn't require the extra, because we had the cake. So our victory impacted the lives of others."

Recently, the MVT revealed it had saved two local spots in south-east England, by transferring them to local control.

The first in Southampton and the other in the city were bought under the community ownership scheme, which is backed by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who buy "shares" in the buildings.