The artist has handed over the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound Mercury Prize winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to protect the United Kingdom's grassroots live music spots.
He was awarded the prize on mid-October as his third album his work was declared the top album of the past year.
He has opted to give the cash to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the vital role grassroots venues fulfilled in his beginning days.
"I couldn't be pursuing this success if it weren't for all the performances I played around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was just getting going," stated Fender. "These spaces are legendary, but they are in difficulty."
From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these venues have permanently closed – approximately one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.
Recently, major artists like the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to help venues survive, by adding a modest fee to their ticket prices, which goes to help independent venues.
Fender also joined in, generating in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to assist numerous local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.
These funds helped spaces that were dealing with potential shutdown due to issues stemming from floods, blazes and personal losses, as well as licensing issues, conflicts and noise complaints.
Some locations received financial assistance in upgrading facilities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted performers and concertgoers.
"The notion that money from performances in big venues supports the independent spots, where it begins for performers like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has commented.
He is far from the only musician to give his Mercury Prize funds to charitable organizations.
Back when they won the trophy in 1996 for their record the album, vocalist Cocker declared that the group would contribute their winnings to the organization War Child.
In 2002, musician she split her prize among a few good causes, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"I also donated a thousand pounds to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked better apparatus," she shared with outlets.
Two years ago, the band donated their prize money to the community center that developed their band, as well as other grassroots music organisations.
Additionally winners that year they gave their award to a charity for MS after a close contact was diagnosed the disease.
"The victory was ample," said artist Small. "The money was the bonus but we didn't require the extra, because we had the honor. So our winning touched somebody else's life."
Recently, the MVT announced it had saved several local spots in south-east England, by bringing them into local control.
The Joiners in the city and the second in the city were bought under the community ownership initiative, which is backed by a national body and enthusiasts who purchase "shares" in the properties.
