The musician gives his £25k prize Mercury Prize to independent music venues
The artist has donated the complete sum of his £25,000 award cash to the Music Venues Trust, which works to preserve the United Kingdom's independent music venues.
He was given the cheque on mid-October as his third album the album was declared the best record of the previous year.
Fender has chosen to donate the funds to the trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role grassroots venues fulfilled in his beginning days.
"As an artist would not have achieved my current career if it weren't for all the gigs I did around the North East, and further afield, when I was starting out," stated Sam Fender. "These spaces are iconic, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these venues have permanently closed – about 16 percent of the entire UK sector.
Over the past year, top acts such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the trust in its attempts to support the industry, by applying a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which benefits local stages.
Fender also took part, collecting more than £100,000 on his recent tour to assist numerous small stages across Britain.
The donation supported locations that were confronting potential shutdown due to challenges arising from floods, fires and personal losses, as well as permit problems, court cases and noise complaints.
Additional spaces received financial assistance in upgrading amenities and technical equipment that directly benefitted artists and audiences.
"The concept that revenue from concerts in big venues supports the smaller venues, where it all starts for performers like me, is just logical," the star has said.
Fender is not the first artist to donate his award winnings to good deeds.
In the band earned the award in the year 1996 for their record their work, frontman the singer announced that the act would give their winnings to the organization War Child.
That year, artist the artist split her prize across several good causes, including the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"I also donated a £1,000 to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they required better apparatus," Ms Dynamite explained to a publication.
Two years ago, the band contributed their funds to the youth organization that supported their act, alongside other independent music bodies.
And 1994 winners M People contributed their award to a MS organization after a friend was found to have the condition.
"Winning was sufficient," said singer the singer. "The money was the cherry on top but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the cake. So our success impacted the lives of others."
In the past week, the trust revealed it had protected two local spots in the South East, by placing them under public stewardship.
The Joiners in the city and the second in that location were purchased under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is funded by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who acquire "stakes" in the venues.