The artist has given the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound award prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which works to protect the Britain's grassroots concert spaces.
Fender was presented with the award on October 16 as his third album People Watching was chosen as the best record of the past year.
Fender has decided to hand the money over to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the crucial part grassroots venues had in his early career.
"I would not have achieved 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," said Fender. "These venues are legendary, but they are in difficulty."
From early 2023 onward, at least 150 of these locations have permanently closed – roughly 16% of the whole industry in the UK.
Recently, major artists such as the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by applying a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which benefits local stages.
He also participated, raising over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to help numerous grassroots venues across Britain.
The donation supported locations that were dealing with potential shutdown due to difficulties arising from water damage, blazes and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and neighbor objections.
Additional spaces obtained financial assistance in upgrading infrastructure and gear that directly benefitted performers and concertgoers.
"The concept that money from shows in large arenas helps the independent spots, where it kicks off for performers like me, is just logical," Fender has said.
Fender is far from the only musician to contribute his honor funds to worthy causes.
Back when the band earned the prize in the year 1996 for their release the album, frontman Cocker declared that the act would donate their cash to the charity War Child.
During 2002, artist she split her bounty across several charities, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"I also gave a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they required better apparatus," she explained to the media.
Previously, they contributed their prize money to the local youth club that nurtured their group, as well as other independent music bodies.
Additionally 1994 winners they contributed their award to a MS organization after a close contact was diagnosed the condition.
"Winning was sufficient," stated vocalist the singer. "The prize was the extra but we could do without the bonus, because we had the honor. So our success impacted somebody else's life."
Last week, the Music Venues Trust announced it had rescued a couple of small stages in south-east England, by placing them under community ownership.
The first in that area and the second in Bristol were acquired under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is backed by a national body and supporters who buy "ownership units" in the venues.
