The star has donated the complete sum of his £25,000 honor prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to preserve the United Kingdom's independent concert spaces.
He was awarded the prize on mid-October as his latest record People Watching was declared the outstanding release of the previous year.
The musician has chosen to donate the funds to the trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role small stages had in his initial steps.
"As an artist would not have achieved this success if it wasn't for all the shows I did around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was beginning," remarked Fender. "These spaces are renowned, but they are in difficulty."
Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these spaces have permanently closed – about 16 percent of the total UK scene.
In the last year, well-known musicians such as Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by including a small levy to their ticket prices, which goes to help local stages.
Sam Fender also took part, collecting over £100k on his recent tour to help numerous small stages across the UK.
The money helped venues that were confronting imminent closure due to issues stemming from water damage, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, court cases and neighbor objections.
Some locations received financial assistance in upgrading infrastructure and technical equipment that directly benefitted artists and audiences.
"The idea that money from concerts in major spaces helps the independent spots, where it kicks off for performers like me, is just common sense," Fender has commented.
The musician is among several artists to contribute his honor funds to worthy causes.
When Pulp won the trophy in 1996 for their record Different Class, vocalist Cocker declared that the act would give their winnings to the charity War Child.
During 2002, musician she divided her prize among several charities, including the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"And I donated a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they required new equipment," the artist explained to a publication.
In recent years, the band donated their funds to the local youth club that supported their group, alongside other local music groups.
And 1994 winners the group contributed their winnings to a MS organization after a close contact was diagnosed the disease.
"Winning was quite enough," remarked singer the singer. "The prize was the extra but we didn't require the extra, because we had the honor. So our victory impacted another person's life."
Recently, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had saved two small stages in the South East, by bringing them into local control.
The Joiners in that area and The Croft in that location were acquired under the public acquisition scheme, which is backed by the arts council and enthusiasts who purchase "shares" in the properties.
