The star has handed over the complete sum of his £25,000 Mercury Prize cash to the MVT, which works to preserve the United Kingdom's small concert spaces.
He was given the award on mid-October as his new release his work was chosen as the top album of the previous year.
The musician has chosen to donate the funds to the MVT, in appreciation of the vital role grassroots venues played in his initial steps.
"I personally would not have achieved my current career if it weren't for all the performances I performed around the North East, and further afield, when I was starting out," remarked the artist. "These spaces are legendary, but they are struggling."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these venues have ceased operations – approximately 16 percent of the entire UK sector.
Recently, top acts like Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to help venues survive, by applying a small levy to their admission fees, which benefits local stages.
Sam Fender also participated, collecting over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to assist numerous local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money helped spaces that were dealing with imminent closure due to challenges stemming from water damage, blazes and bereavements, as well as permit problems, court cases and noise complaints.
Other venues were granted financial assistance in upgrading facilities and technical equipment that helped musicians and concertgoers.
"The concept that revenue from shows in major spaces backs the local stages, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just logical," Fender has stated.
Fender is not the first artist to donate his award winnings to worthy causes.
In Pulp won the prize in 1996 for their release the album, vocalist Cocker declared that the act would donate their prize money to the charity War Child.
That year, artist the artist shared her award between multiple organizations, like the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.
"And I gave a £1,000 to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they needed new equipment," the artist explained to outlets.
Two years ago, Ezra Collective donated their winnings to the youth organization that supported their act, alongside other independent music bodies.
And winners that year they gave their prize to a MS organization after a friend was identified with the disease.
"Receiving the award was quite enough," stated singer Heather Small. "The cash was the bonus but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the cake. So our success affected the lives of others."
In the past week, the trust shared it had saved several small stages in that region, by transferring them to community ownership.
One venue in that area and the other in Bristol were purchased under the public acquisition initiative, which is backed by Arts Council England and supporters who buy "ownership units" in the properties.
