Sam Fender has donated his entire £25,000 Mercury Prize winnings to the Music Venue Trust (MVT), which works to protect the UK’s grassroots music venues.
The North Shields singer received the cheque on 16 October, when his third album People Watching was named Album of the Year. He said the donation recognises the vital role small venues played in his early career.
“I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing today if it wasn’t for all the gigs I played around the North East,” Fender said. “These venues are legendary, but they’re struggling.”
More than 150 grassroots venues have closed since 2023 — around 16% of the UK’s live music scene. Fender previously raised over £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to support 38 small venues across the UK.
He joins previous Mercury winners including Pulp, Ms Dynamite, and Ezra Collective, who also donated their prize money to charitable causes.
The MVT recently announced it had saved two venues — The Joiners in Southampton and The Croft in Bristol — by bringing them into community ownership through its Own Our Venues scheme
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