Skip to content
Tuesday, October 13, 2026
Modern Monitor

Sam Fender gives his £25k prize Mercury Prize to small concert halls

Sam Fender accepting the award in the North East
The musician was awarded the prestigious award recently in his hometown

Sam Fender has given the complete sum of his £25k award cash to the MVT, which operates to protect the Britain's independent concert spaces.

Fender was awarded the prize on 16 October as his new release the album was declared the best record of the previous year.

He has chosen to give the cash to the trust, in recognition of the crucial part local spots played in his beginning days.

"As an artist wouldn't be doing my current career if it wasn't for all the shows I did around the area, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," remarked Sam Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are in difficulty."

Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these venues have ceased operations – about one-sixth of the entire UK sector.

Over the past year, well-known musicians such as Pulp, the group Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the trust in its attempts to keep the scene afloat, by including a small levy to their ticket prices, which goes to help local stages.

He also participated, generating more than £100,000 on his recent tour to help 38 grassroots venues across the UK.

The money assisted venues that were dealing with imminent closure due to difficulties caused by flooding, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, court cases and noise complaints.

Other venues obtained financial assistance in improving facilities and gear that helped musicians and audiences.

"The notion that funds from performances in major spaces supports the smaller venues, where it kicks off for performers like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has said.

Pulp on stage
Pulp are one example who contributed their award funds to charity

Fender is far from the only musician to contribute his honor prize money to good deeds.

In the band received the prize in the year 1996 for their album the album, lead singer Jarvis Cocker declared that the group would donate their cash to the organization War Child.

That year, musician she split her award across multiple good causes, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"And I donated a £1,000 to the center, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they needed new equipment," Ms Dynamite told the media.

Two years ago, they donated their winnings to the youth organization that nurtured their act, as well as other local music groups.

Additionally the 1994 recipients the group donated their award to a charity for MS after a friend was identified with the condition.

"Receiving the award was quite enough," remarked artist Small. "The cash was the cherry on top but we could do without the cherry, because we had the cake. So our victory affected somebody else's life."

Recently, the trust revealed it had saved a couple of grassroots venues in south-east England, by placing them under local control.

The first in the city and the second in the city were acquired under the public acquisition initiative, which is funded by a national body and enthusiasts who purchase "ownership units" in the buildings.

Written by

Terry Jones

A tech journalist with a decade of experience covering consumer electronics and digital innovation.

Modern Monitor

Type to search articles.