The artist has given the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound Mercury Prize winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which works to save the United Kingdom's grassroots music venues.
He was presented with the cheque on 16 October as his third album his work was chosen as the best record of the previous year.
Fender has decided to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the essential function small stages had in his early career.
"I would not have achieved what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the shows I played around the area, and beyond, when I was just getting going," said Sam Fender. "These locations are iconic, but they are struggling."
Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these spaces have shut down – about 16 percent of the total UK scene.
Recently, major artists like Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to support the industry, by adding a small levy to their ticket prices, which goes to help smaller concert halls.
Sam Fender also joined in, collecting more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to help numerous local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money assisted venues that were facing imminent closure due to challenges stemming from water damage, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and neighbor objections.
Other venues were granted monetary aid in modernizing amenities and sound and lighting systems that positively impacted performers and fans.
"The notion that money from concerts in major spaces helps the smaller venues, where it begins for musicians like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has commented.
He is not the first artist to give his honor funds to charitable organizations.
In the band received the award in 1996 for their album Different Class, lead singer Cocker declared that the band would give their winnings to the charity War Child.
During 2002, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite shared her prize across several charities, including the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.
"I also donated a £1,000 to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they needed new equipment," Ms Dynamite explained to a publication.
Previously, the band gave their prize money to the youth organization that nurtured their group, alongside other local music groups.
And winners that year the group donated their award to a MS organization after a acquaintance was found to have the disease.
"The victory was sufficient," said artist Small. "The prize was the bonus but we could do without the cherry, because we had the main prize. So our success touched another person's life."
Recently, the Music Venues Trust shared it had saved two local spots in that region, by placing them under community ownership.
The first in Southampton and the other in Bristol were bought under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is backed by a national body and enthusiasts who buy "stakes" in the venues.
