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The star has given the entirety of his £25k Mercury Prize winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to save the United Kingdom's grassroots concert spaces.

The star was awarded the prize on mid-October as his third album People Watching was chosen as the best record of the past year.

He has chosen to donate the funds to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the crucial part local spots fulfilled in his beginning days.

"As an artist would not have achieved this success if it wasn't for all the shows I performed around the region, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," stated Sam Fender. "These venues are legendary, but they are in difficulty."

From early 2023 onward, over 150 of these venues have ceased operations – approximately 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.

In the last year, well-known musicians like the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its attempts to help venues survive, by adding a modest fee to their admission fees, which benefits local stages.

Fender also joined in, raising over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to support 38 small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.

These funds helped venues that were confronting imminent closure due to challenges stemming from water damage, fires and personal losses, as well as licensing issues, court cases and noise complaints.

Additional spaces were granted funding support in improving facilities and gear that directly benefitted musicians and fans.

"The concept that money from performances in major spaces backs the independent spots, where it begins for artists like me, is just common sense," the star has said.

The musician is among several artists to contribute his honor prize money to charitable organizations.

Back when they earned the trophy in the mid-90s for their album Different Class, lead singer the singer declared that the act would donate their cash to the non-profit the charity.

During 2002, musician Ms Dynamite shared her prize between multiple charities, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.

"I also gave a thousand pounds to the center, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they required updated gear," the artist told a publication.

In recent years, Ezra Collective contributed their prize money to the local youth club that nurtured their band, in addition to other independent music bodies.

Additionally winners that year M People donated their prize to a MS organization after a acquaintance was found to have the disease.

"The victory was sufficient," stated vocalist the singer. "The money was the cherry on top but we didn't require the extra, because we had the cake. So our victory impacted somebody else's life."

Recently, the Music Venues Trust shared it had saved several local spots in south-east England, by transferring them to public stewardship.

The Joiners in Southampton and The Croft in Bristol were acquired under the Own Our Venues program, which is backed by a national body and enthusiasts who acquire "shares" in the venues.