The artist has given the entirety of his £25,000 Mercury Prize winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which works to preserve the United Kingdom's small concert spaces.
He was given the cheque on 16 October as his new release his work was chosen as the best record of the past year.
The musician has opted to hand the money over 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 shows I performed around the area, and further afield, when I was starting out," stated the artist. "These venues are iconic, but they are in difficulty."
From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these locations have ceased operations – approximately 16% of the entire UK sector.
Over the past year, major artists such as Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its initiatives to help venues survive, by applying a small levy to their ticket prices, which goes to help independent venues.
He also joined in, raising in excess of £100,000 on his recent tour to assist numerous small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The donation assisted spaces that were dealing with possible closure due to issues stemming from floods, blazes and bereavements, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and sound issues.
Additional spaces obtained financial assistance in modernizing infrastructure and gear that directly benefitted performers and audiences.
"The idea that money from shows in large arenas helps the smaller venues, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just common sense," the star has said.
Fender is among several artists to give his award funds to charitable organizations.
In Pulp won the prize in 1996 for their release Different Class, frontman Jarvis Cocker stated that the band would donate their prize money to the charity War Child.
During 2002, rapper and singer she split her award between a few organizations, such as the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"I also contributed a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they required new equipment," she explained to a publication.
In recent years, the band donated their prize money to the youth organization that nurtured their group, as well as other independent music bodies.
Also 1994 winners M People gave their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was diagnosed the illness.
"Winning was quite enough," remarked artist Small. "The prize was the cherry on top but we could do without the extra, because we had the main prize. So our success affected somebody else's life."
Last week, the trust announced it had rescued two grassroots venues in south-east England, by placing them under public stewardship.
The first in Southampton and The Croft in Bristol were purchased under the community ownership initiative, which is funded by Arts Council England and music fans who purchase "ownership units" in the properties.
