The artist has given the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound award cash to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to protect the United Kingdom's independent live music spots.
He was presented with the award on mid-October as his third album the album was chosen as the best record of the past year.
He has decided to hand the money over to the trust, in recognition of the crucial part local spots played in his beginning days.
"I couldn't be pursuing my current career if it hadn't been for all the performances I performed around the North East, and further afield, when I was beginning," remarked the artist. "These venues are iconic, but they are facing challenges."
From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these spaces have shut down – about 16 percent of the total UK scene.
In the last year, well-known musicians such as Pulp, the group Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the MVT in its efforts to help venues survive, by including a modest fee to their ticket prices, which supports local stages.
Fender also participated, raising more than £100,000 on his live tour to support thirty-eight local spots across the UK.
The money assisted locations that were facing imminent closure due to difficulties stemming from floods, fires and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and neighbor objections.
Other venues were granted financial assistance in modernizing facilities and gear that helped musicians and fans.
"The idea that money from performances in big venues backs the smaller venues, where it begins for performers like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has commented.
He is among several artists to donate his award winnings to worthy causes.
When they received the award in 1996 for their album the album, vocalist Cocker stated that the act would donate their prize money to the organization War Child.
During 2002, artist she shared her bounty across a few good causes, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"Additionally, I donated a £1,000 to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they needed new equipment," she told outlets.
Two years ago, Ezra Collective contributed their funds to the community center that nurtured their band, as well as other independent music bodies.
Also winners that year the group donated their prize to a charity for MS after a close contact was identified with the disease.
"The victory was ample," said artist Small. "The money was the bonus but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our victory affected somebody else's life."
In the past week, the trust shared it had rescued two grassroots venues in the South East, by placing them under public stewardship.
The Joiners in that area and The Croft in that location were acquired under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is backed by the arts council and music fans who purchase "shares" in the properties.
