The artist has handed over the full amount of his twenty-five thousand pound honor winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to preserve the United Kingdom's grassroots concert spaces.
He was awarded the award on October 16 as his new release People Watching was chosen as the best record of the last 12 months.
The musician has opted to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in appreciation of the crucial part small stages had in his initial steps.
"I couldn't be pursuing my current career if it wasn't for all the shows I did around the area, and elsewhere, when I was starting out," remarked the artist. "These spaces are renowned, but they are struggling."
Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these venues have shut down – roughly 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, major artists such as Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by including a small levy to their admission fees, which supports local stages.
Fender also joined in, collecting more than £100,000 on his recent tour to assist numerous local spots across the UK.
The donation assisted spaces that were confronting imminent closure due to issues caused by water damage, blazes and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, conflicts and noise complaints.
Additional spaces received funding support in upgrading infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted artists and fans.
"The notion that funds from shows in large arenas supports the local stages, where it begins for artists like me, is just logical," Fender has stated.
Fender is among several artists to donate his Mercury Prize prize money to charitable organizations.
When they won the trophy in the year 1996 for their record the album, vocalist Cocker announced that the act would give their prize money to the charity the charity.
In 2002, artist the artist shared her bounty across multiple charities, like the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.
"Additionally, I contributed a grand to Highgate Newtown, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was younger and they lacked better apparatus," she shared with the media.
Previously, they gave their funds to the youth organization that nurtured their act, alongside other local music groups.
And 1994 winners M People gave their prize to a MS organization after a close contact was diagnosed the illness.
"Winning was ample," remarked artist Small. "The cash was the bonus but we could do without the bonus, because we had the honor. So our success touched another person's life."
Recently, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had saved several small stages in that region, by transferring them to local control.
The first in the city and the second in the city were purchased under the community ownership initiative, which is funded by the arts council and supporters who purchase "stakes" in the properties.
