The artist has handed over the entirety of his £25k award prize money to the MVT, which operates to preserve the United Kingdom's independent concert spaces.
Fender was awarded the cheque on October 16 as his third album the album was chosen as the top album of the previous year.
He has chosen to give the cash to the MVT, in appreciation of the crucial part local spots had in his initial steps.
"I wouldn't be doing this success if it wasn't for all the gigs I did around the region, and further afield, when I was starting out," said the artist. "These venues are iconic, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these venues have shut down – roughly 16% of the entire UK sector.
Over the past year, top acts such as Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to keep the scene afloat, by adding a small levy to their ticket costs, which supports smaller concert halls.
Sam Fender also took part, raising over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to support numerous small stages across the UK.
The money supported locations that were facing imminent closure due to difficulties caused by floods, blazes and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and neighbor objections.
Additional spaces obtained financial assistance in upgrading amenities and gear that directly benefitted artists and audiences.
"The notion that funds from concerts in big venues supports the smaller venues, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has commented.
He is not the first artist to give his honor winnings to worthy causes.
Back when they earned the prize in the mid-90s for their album the album, frontman Jarvis Cocker declared that the group would donate their prize money to the charity War Child.
In 2002, rapper and singer she split her award between several good causes, like the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.
"And I contributed a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they required updated gear," she told a publication.
Previously, they gave their winnings to the youth organization that supported their act, as well as other local music groups.
And 1994 winners the group gave their award to a MS organization after a acquaintance was identified with the disease.
"The victory was quite enough," stated vocalist Small. "The prize was the cherry on top but we could do without the cherry, because we had the honor. So our victory impacted another person's life."
Last week, the trust shared it had protected a couple of grassroots venues in that region, by bringing them into community ownership.
The first in the city and the other in Bristol were acquired under the community ownership scheme, which is backed by Arts Council England and supporters who purchase "shares" in the properties.
