The artist has handed over the full amount of his £25k award winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which works to preserve the Britain's small live music spots.
Fender was presented with the cheque on October 16 as his third album his work was named the best record of the previous year.
Fender has chosen to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the crucial part small stages fulfilled in his early career.
"I wouldn't be doing this success if it hadn't been for all the performances I played around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," said the artist. "These spaces are legendary, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these spaces have shut down – roughly one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, well-known musicians like Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the trust in its attempts to support the industry, by applying a minor surcharge to their admission fees, which benefits smaller concert halls.
Sam Fender also joined in, collecting over £100k on his recent tour to support thirty-eight grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The donation helped locations that were dealing with potential shutdown due to difficulties caused by flooding, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and neighbor objections.
Some locations obtained financial assistance in upgrading amenities and technical equipment that positively impacted performers and concertgoers.
"The notion that money from performances in big venues supports the smaller venues, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just sensible," Fender has said.
He is among several artists to give his Mercury Prize prize money to charitable organizations.
In the band received the trophy in 1996 for their release the album, vocalist Cocker stated that the band would give their cash to the organization War Child.
In 2002, rapper and singer the artist divided her award among multiple charities, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"Additionally, I gave a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they needed new equipment," she told the media.
In recent years, the band donated their funds to the community center that nurtured their act, alongside other grassroots music organisations.
And winners that year they gave their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was diagnosed the condition.
"Receiving the award was ample," stated artist the singer. "The cash was the cherry on top but we didn't need the extra, because we had the main prize. So our winning affected another person's life."
Recently, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had protected two small stages in south-east England, by placing them under local control.
The Joiners in Southampton and the second in the city were acquired under the public acquisition program, which is supported by Arts Council England and supporters who acquire "shares" in the venues.
