Sam Fender has donated his £25,000 Mercury Prize winnings to the Music Venue Trust (MVT) to help secure the future of grassroots venues across the UK.
The British singer-songwriter scooped the prestigious UK & Ireland Album of the Year award last month for his third studio album, People Watching. The £25,000 prize will now go towards supporting the MVT, a national charity dedicated to protecting and preserving independent music venues.
“I wouldn’t be where I am today without the gigs I played in small venues across the North East, and beyond, when I was starting out,” says Fender. “These venues are legendary, but they are struggling.”
The donation follows Fender’s earlier fundraising efforts during his 2024 arena tour, which raised over £100,000 for the MVT’s Liveline Fund. This initiative supported 38 grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.
“This is an incredible gesture from Sam, and it highlights once again how deeply artists understand the importance of grassroots venues to their careers and to their communities,” says Mark Dayvd, CEO and founder of the Music Venue Trust.
“We are honoured to accept this donation, and we’ll make sure every penny goes directly to helping our campaign to keep live music at the heart of towns and cities across the UK,” Dayvd adds.
In related news, the MVT’s Own Our Venues initiative continues to make strides in securing the future of iconic music venues. The charity recently announced the acquisition of two more venues, bringing the total number of protected spaces to seven.
Southampton’s The Joiners and Bristol’s The Croft, both of which have hosted legendary acts like Ed Sheeran, Arctic Monkeys, Coldplay, PJ Harvey, Oasis, IDLES, and Wet Leg, will now have permanent protected status.
Since launching in 2022, the Own Our Venues campaign has raised nearly £4 million through community investment and partner funding, including vital support from Arts Council England. MVT is now eyeing further acquisitions in Leeds, Sheffield, and Newcastle as part of its mission to safeguard the future of live music venues across the UK.