The artist has given the full amount of his £25,000 Mercury Prize winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to save the UK's small music venues.
He was given the cheque on 16 October as his latest record the album was named the top album of the previous year.
Fender has decided to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role grassroots venues had in his beginning days.
"I personally couldn't be pursuing my current career if it wasn't for all the performances I performed around the region, and further afield, when I was starting out," remarked the artist. "These spaces are iconic, but they are in difficulty."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – about one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.
Recently, top acts such as Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by adding a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which supports smaller concert halls.
Sam Fender also took part, generating in excess of £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to support numerous grassroots venues across the UK.
The donation assisted spaces that were facing possible closure due to challenges caused by water damage, blazes and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and neighbor objections.
Additional spaces were granted funding support in upgrading infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted musicians and audiences.
"The concept that revenue from shows in large arenas helps the independent spots, where it kicks off for musicians like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has said.
The musician is among several artists to give his award prize money to good deeds.
When the band received the prize in 1996 for their record their work, frontman Jarvis Cocker stated that the group would contribute their prize money to the non-profit the charity.
During 2002, musician she shared her award between multiple good causes, including the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"Additionally, I contributed a £1,000 to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked new equipment," she explained to outlets.
Two years ago, Ezra Collective gave their funds to the youth organization that developed their band, as well as other independent music bodies.
And the 1994 recipients M People donated their prize to a MS organization after a friend was identified with the disease.
"Receiving the award was quite enough," said singer Heather Small. "The prize was the cherry on top but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the cake. So our winning touched the lives of others."
Recently, the Music Venues Trust announced it had protected several grassroots venues in the South East, by placing them under local control.
One venue in that area and the other in the city were purchased under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is backed by the arts council and supporters who buy "ownership units" in the venues.
