Sam Fender has donated his £25,000 winnings from this year’s Mercury prize to a charity supporting the UK’s small music venues.

The North Shields singer-songwriter won the prestigious prize in October for his album People Watching, a UK chart-topper that continued his run of poignant, socially conscious songwriting.

“I wouldn’t be doing what I am doing today if it wasn’t for all the gigs I played around the north-east, and beyond, when I was starting out,” Fender said, announcing the donation. “These venues are legendary, but they are struggling.”

The money will be given to Music Venue Trust (MVT), who have been campaigning on behalf of grassroots venues across the country. Since 2023, more than 150 of these small venues have closed, facing pressures such as lower consumer spending, higher utility bills and debts lingering after Covid-enforced closures.

Fender previously donated £100,000 of the revenue from his 2024 arena tour to MVT, saying it was “common sense” that “money from shows in big venues supports the smaller venues”.

MVT are lobbying more artists, promoters and venues to similarly donate a small portion of the revenue generated at large-scale concerts, to be reinvested into smaller venues where artists such as Fender cut their teeth.

The charity is proposing a £1 levy added to all tickets for concerts above 5,000 capacity. The UK government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) says it “fully supports” the rollout of the scheme, which has been backed by artists including Coldplay and Katy Perry.

Fender’s Mercury win capped the 31-year-old’s strongest year yet. As well as reaching No 1 in the album chart, People Watching produced two Top 10 singles, and Fender played a series of stadium shows in the UK during the summer. He also won best alternative/rock act at the 2025 Brit awards, his second win in that category.

This week he begins the Australian leg of the People Watching tour, playing six open-air dates across the country.