The star has handed over the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound award cash to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to protect the United Kingdom's independent music venues.
He was given the award on October 16 as his third album the album was named the top album of the last 12 months.
Fender has decided to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the essential function small stages had in his early career.
"I personally couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the performances I did around the region, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," stated Sam Fender. "These locations are renowned, but they are facing challenges."
Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – about one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.
Recently, top acts like Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to help venues survive, by applying a modest fee to their admission fees, which supports independent venues.
Sam Fender also took part, raising more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to assist thirty-eight local spots across the UK.
The money helped spaces that were dealing with possible closure due to issues caused by water damage, blazes and personal losses, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and noise complaints.
Additional spaces received monetary aid in upgrading amenities and gear that directly benefitted artists and fans.
"The idea that money from shows in large arenas supports the smaller venues, where it all starts for artists like me, is just sensible," Fender has commented.
He is not the first artist to contribute his Mercury Prize winnings to worthy causes.
In Pulp earned the award in 1996 for their record their work, frontman Jarvis Cocker stated that the act would donate their prize money to the non-profit War Child.
That year, artist Ms Dynamite divided her bounty across multiple organizations, such as the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"I also contributed a grand to my local community centre, to their classes, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked updated gear," she told outlets.
In recent years, they donated their winnings to the youth organization that supported their group, in addition to other independent music bodies.
Additionally winners that year M People contributed their prize to a multiple sclerosis charity after a close contact was found to have the illness.
"Receiving the award was quite enough," stated artist the singer. "The cash was the bonus but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the cake. So our success impacted another person's life."
In the past week, the Music Venues Trust announced it had protected several grassroots venues in that region, by placing them under community ownership.
The Joiners in the city and the second in Bristol were bought under the community ownership initiative, which is funded by Arts Council England and supporters who purchase "shares" in the venues.
