The artist has given the entirety of his £25,000 Mercury Prize prize money to the trust for venues, which works to protect the United Kingdom's grassroots concert spaces.
Fender was awarded the award on October 16 as his new release his work was named the top album of the previous year.
Fender has chosen to donate the funds to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the essential function grassroots venues played in his initial steps.
"As an artist couldn't be pursuing my current career if it hadn't been for all the gigs I played around the area, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," said Fender. "These spaces are renowned, but they are struggling."
Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – roughly 16% of the entire UK sector.
Recently, well-known musicians such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the trust in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by adding a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which benefits independent venues.
He also joined in, collecting over £100k on his live tour to assist 38 local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money helped venues that were confronting imminent closure due to challenges stemming from water damage, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as permit problems, court cases and neighbor objections.
Other venues were granted monetary aid in improving infrastructure and gear that directly benefitted performers and fans.
"The idea that revenue from shows in large arenas supports the independent spots, where it kicks off for artists like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has said.
He is not the first artist to give his honor prize money to charitable organizations.
In Pulp received the prize in 1996 for their record their work, frontman Cocker declared that the act would contribute their prize money to the organization War Child.
During 2002, musician she shared her award across multiple organizations, including the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.
"And I gave a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they required better apparatus," the artist explained to outlets.
Previously, the band gave their funds to the community center that developed their group, alongside other local music groups.
And the 1994 recipients they gave their winnings to a MS organization after a acquaintance was identified with the illness.
"Receiving the award was quite enough," remarked artist the singer. "The money was the bonus but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our victory touched another person's life."
Recently, the MVT revealed it had protected a couple of small stages in the South East, by bringing them into community ownership.
The first in that area and the other in that location were bought under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is funded by a national body and supporters who acquire "ownership units" in the buildings.
