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The artist has handed over the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound honor winnings to the trust for venues, which works to save the United Kingdom's small concert spaces.

Fender was presented with the prize on mid-October as his latest record his work was declared the best record of the last 12 months.

He has decided to donate the funds to the MVT, in recognition of the vital role small stages played in his initial steps.

"As an artist couldn't be pursuing my current career if it hadn't been for all the gigs I performed around the area, and further afield, when I was beginning," said the artist. "These spaces are iconic, but they are in difficulty."

Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these locations have ceased operations – roughly one-sixth of the total UK scene.

Recently, well-known musicians including Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to keep the scene afloat, by adding a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which goes to help independent venues.

Fender also participated, raising over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to help 38 small stages across Britain.

The money supported spaces that were dealing with possible closure due to challenges arising from floods, blazes and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and sound issues.

Other venues obtained financial assistance in modernizing facilities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted artists and audiences.

"The concept that revenue from concerts in large arenas backs the independent spots, where it kicks off for performers like me, is just logical," Fender has commented.

The musician is not the first artist to contribute his Mercury Prize funds to good deeds.

Back when they received the award in 1996 for their release Different Class, lead singer Cocker declared that the act would contribute their cash to the organization War Child.

During 2002, musician Ms Dynamite divided her bounty across several organizations, including the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.

"And I gave a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was growing up and they required better apparatus," Ms Dynamite explained to a publication.

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

And winners that year M People contributed their award to a charity for MS after a acquaintance was found to have the disease.

"Winning was ample," remarked singer the singer. "The prize was the extra but we could do without the cherry, because we had the honor. So our success touched somebody else's life."

Recently, the Music Venues Trust shared it had saved several small stages in that region, by placing them under community ownership.

The first in that area and the other in that location were acquired under the Own Our Venues program, which is backed by the arts council and supporters who purchase "shares" in the buildings.