The star has handed over the complete sum of his £25,000 Mercury Prize cash to the Music Venues Trust, which works to protect the Britain's small concert spaces.
Fender was awarded the award on October 16 as his new release the album was chosen as the outstanding release of the previous year.
He has chosen to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role local spots had in his early career.
"As an artist would not have achieved my current career if it wasn't for all the performances I performed around the North East, and further afield, when I was starting out," stated the artist. "These spaces are iconic, but they are facing challenges."
Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – approximately 16 percent of the entire UK sector.
Recently, top acts including the band Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to help venues survive, by adding a modest fee to their ticket costs, which supports independent venues.
He also took part, raising over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to assist thirty-eight local spots across the UK.
These funds helped spaces that were confronting possible closure due to issues stemming from flooding, blazes and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and neighbor objections.
Additional spaces received funding support in improving facilities and technical equipment that positively impacted musicians and fans.
"The idea that revenue from shows in big venues supports the independent spots, where it kicks off for performers like me, is just sensible," the star has said.
Fender is not the first artist to give his award funds to charitable organizations.
In they earned the trophy in the year 1996 for their release the album, vocalist Cocker stated that the group would donate their prize money to the organization War Child.
That year, musician she divided her prize between multiple good causes, like the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.
"And I contributed a £1,000 to the center, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they required updated gear," Ms Dynamite shared with a publication.
In recent years, Ezra Collective contributed their funds to the youth organization that developed their group, in addition to other grassroots music organisations.
Additionally 1994 winners M People gave their prize to a MS organization after a close contact was identified with the illness.
"Receiving the award was ample," said vocalist the singer. "The money was the extra but we didn't require the extra, because we had the cake. So our success affected somebody else's life."
Recently, the MVT revealed it had rescued two small stages in south-east England, by bringing them into public stewardship.
The first in the city and the other in that location were purchased under the Own Our Venues program, which is funded by a national body and music fans who buy "ownership units" in the buildings.
