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The artist has given the full amount of his £25k Mercury Prize prize money to the MVT, which works to save the United Kingdom's independent music venues.

Fender was presented with the prize on mid-October as his new release People Watching was chosen as the outstanding release of the previous year.

Fender has chosen to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role small stages played in his beginning days.

"I couldn't be pursuing my current career if it weren't for all the performances I performed around the region, and further afield, when I was just getting going," stated the artist. "These locations are legendary, but they are facing challenges."

Since the start of 2023, more than 150 of these locations have shut down – about 16 percent of the entire UK sector.

In the last year, well-known musicians such as the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the trust in its efforts to help venues survive, by including a small levy to their admission fees, which supports smaller concert halls.

Sam Fender also took part, collecting in excess of £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to assist numerous local spots across Britain.

The money helped spaces that were confronting imminent closure due to challenges caused by floods, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as licensing issues, conflicts and neighbor objections.

Other venues received monetary aid in modernizing infrastructure and technical equipment that directly benefitted artists and audiences.

"The notion that funds from shows in big venues supports the smaller venues, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just common sense," Sam Fender has stated.

The musician is not the first artist to donate his Mercury Prize funds to worthy causes.

In they earned the award in the mid-90s for their album their work, lead singer the singer announced that the group would donate their prize money to the organization the charity.

During 2002, rapper and singer the artist split her award between multiple charities, such as the children's charity and a Sickle Cell charity.

"And I donated a thousand pounds to my local community centre, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they required updated gear," she shared with a publication.

Previously, Ezra Collective gave their prize money to the youth organization that supported their group, in addition to other independent music bodies.

Also 1994 winners M People contributed their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a acquaintance was identified with the illness.

"Winning was sufficient," stated singer Small. "The money was the cherry on top but we didn't require the cherry, because we had the honor. So our winning touched another person's life."

Recently, the Music Venues Trust shared it had rescued several local spots in that region, by placing them under local control.

The Joiners in Southampton and The Croft in that location were bought under the community ownership initiative, which is supported by a national body and enthusiasts who purchase "stakes" in the properties.