The artist has handed over the full amount of his £25k Mercury Prize winnings to the MVT, which functions to protect the United Kingdom's grassroots music venues.
Fender was presented with the prize on October 16 as his latest record People Watching was named the top album of the last 12 months.
Fender has opted to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role grassroots venues fulfilled in his beginning days.
"I personally would not have achieved what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the performances I did around the North East, and beyond, when I was starting out," said Sam Fender. "These spaces are legendary, but they are in difficulty."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these venues have ceased operations – about 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
In the last year, major artists like the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to help venues survive, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which benefits local stages.
Sam Fender also participated, raising over £100k on his recent tour to help numerous small stages across the UK.
These funds helped spaces that were dealing with imminent closure due to difficulties caused by flooding, fires and personal losses, as well as licensing issues, court cases and sound issues.
Some locations obtained financial assistance in modernizing infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted artists and audiences.
"The concept that funds from performances in major spaces helps the independent spots, where it kicks off for performers like me, is just sensible," Fender has said.
He is among several artists to contribute his award winnings to charitable organizations.
Back when Pulp earned the prize in 1996 for their record the album, frontman the singer stated that the group would give their winnings to the non-profit the charity.
That year, rapper and singer she split her bounty among multiple charities, like the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.
"And I gave a £1,000 to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they required new equipment," she explained to the media.
In recent years, Ezra Collective gave their funds to the community center that nurtured their band, in addition to other independent music bodies.
And winners that year they gave their prize to a multiple sclerosis charity after a friend was found to have the disease.
"The victory was sufficient," stated vocalist Heather Small. "The money was the bonus but we didn't require the extra, because we had the main prize. So our success affected somebody else's life."
Recently, the Music Venues Trust announced it had saved a couple of grassroots venues in south-east England, by bringing them into local control.
One venue in Southampton and the second in that location were purchased under the public acquisition initiative, which is backed by the arts council and music fans who acquire "ownership units" in the buildings.
