The artist has handed over the entirety of his £25k award prize money to the MVT, which functions to save the United Kingdom's independent concert spaces.
Fender was awarded the prize on mid-October as his third album his work was chosen as the best record of the past year.
The musician has decided to give the cash to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the vital role small stages played in his beginning days.
"I personally couldn't be pursuing my current career if it wasn't for all the performances I performed around the North East, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," said the artist. "These venues are iconic, but they are facing challenges."
Beginning in 2023, at least 150 of these locations have ceased operations – roughly one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.
Recently, major artists like Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to help venues survive, by applying a modest fee to their ticket costs, which goes to help local stages.
He also participated, raising over £100k on his live tour to assist 38 grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money helped spaces that were dealing with potential shutdown due to issues stemming from water damage, blazes and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, court cases and sound issues.
Other venues received funding support in upgrading facilities and gear that positively impacted artists and fans.
"The concept that funds from concerts in big venues backs the local stages, where it all starts for performers like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has commented.
He is not the first artist to donate his award prize money to worthy causes.
When the band won the prize in the mid-90s for their album Different Class, vocalist Cocker announced that the act would contribute their cash to the organization War Child.
In 2002, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite divided her prize across a few charities, such as the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.
"I also gave a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics class, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked new equipment," the artist told outlets.
In recent years, Ezra Collective donated their winnings to the community center that supported their act, alongside other local music groups.
And the 1994 recipients the group contributed their prize to a multiple sclerosis charity after a friend was diagnosed the illness.
"Winning was quite enough," stated artist Small. "The cash was the extra but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our winning impacted somebody else's life."
Recently, the MVT shared it had protected a couple of grassroots venues in the South East, by bringing them into community ownership.
One venue in the city and the other in Bristol were purchased under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is funded by a national body and music fans who acquire "stakes" in the buildings.
