The star has handed over the full amount of his £25,000 honor winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which works to save the United Kingdom's grassroots music venues.
Fender was awarded the cheque on 16 October as his latest record People Watching was declared the outstanding release of the previous year.
Fender has decided to give the cash to the MVT, in recognition of the essential function small stages fulfilled in his initial steps.
"As an artist couldn't be pursuing this success if it weren't for all the gigs I played around the North East, and further afield, when I was starting out," remarked the artist. "These spaces are renowned, but they are in difficulty."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – roughly one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, major artists such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to help venues survive, by adding a modest fee to their admission fees, which supports local stages.
Fender also joined in, collecting over £100k on his live tour to support numerous local spots across the UK.
The money helped spaces that were dealing with imminent closure due to challenges caused by water damage, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, conflicts and sound issues.
Other venues were granted monetary aid in improving facilities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted performers and concertgoers.
"The concept that funds from shows in large arenas helps the smaller venues, where it kicks off for performers like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has said.
Fender is far from the only musician to give his award funds to charitable organizations.
Back when they won the trophy in 1996 for their album Different Class, lead singer Jarvis Cocker announced that the act would donate their cash to the non-profit the charity.
That year, artist she split her prize between a few charities, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"And I donated a £1,000 to the center, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked new equipment," the artist told a publication.
In recent years, they contributed their funds to the community center that supported their band, as well as other grassroots music organisations.
Also winners that year the group contributed their award to a MS organization after a friend was identified with the illness.
"Winning was ample," stated artist the singer. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't require the extra, because we had the cake. So our success touched somebody else's life."
In the past week, the MVT revealed it had saved two small stages in the South East, by placing them under community ownership.
The first in that area and the second in Bristol were purchased under the public acquisition scheme, which is funded by the arts council and music fans who buy "shares" in the buildings.
