The artist has handed over the complete sum of his £25k award prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which works to protect the United Kingdom's small live music spots.
He was presented with the award on 16 October as his third album the album was declared the outstanding release of the previous year.
He has decided to hand the money over to the trust, in acknowledgment of the crucial part local spots had in his beginning days.
"As an artist would not have achieved this success if it weren't for all the gigs I played around the area, and further afield, when I was starting out," remarked the artist. "These spaces are renowned, but they are struggling."
From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these locations have shut down – roughly 16% of the entire UK sector.
In the last year, top acts like Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the MVT in its efforts to support the industry, by applying a small levy to their admission fees, which benefits smaller concert halls.
Fender also joined in, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to support thirty-eight small stages across Britain.
The donation supported venues that were facing imminent closure due to challenges arising from water damage, fires and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and noise complaints.
Additional spaces received funding support in modernizing infrastructure and gear that directly benefitted artists and audiences.
"The notion that funds from performances in major spaces supports the smaller venues, where it all starts for performers like me, is just logical," the star has said.
The musician is far from the only musician to contribute his honor winnings to charitable organizations.
In the band won the award in the year 1996 for their record Different Class, frontman the singer announced that the act would give their cash to the charity War Child.
That year, musician she divided her bounty among multiple organizations, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"Additionally, I contributed a grand to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was younger and they required better apparatus," she shared with outlets.
Previously, the band donated their winnings to the local youth club that developed their group, in addition to other local music groups.
Also the 1994 recipients M People gave their award to a MS organization after a close contact was identified with the illness.
"Winning was quite enough," stated artist the singer. "The prize was the cherry on top but we could do without the extra, because we had the honor. So our victory affected somebody else's life."
In the past week, the trust revealed it had saved several grassroots venues in the South East, by placing them under local control.
The first in that area and the second in Bristol were acquired under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is backed by Arts Council England and music fans who buy "shares" in the properties.
