The star has handed over the full amount of his twenty-five thousand pound honor winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which works to preserve the United Kingdom's small concert spaces.
Fender was presented with the prize on 16 October as his latest record People Watching was declared the outstanding release of the last 12 months.
Fender has decided to hand the money over to the MVT, in recognition of the essential function small stages had in his early career.
"I wouldn't be doing my current career if it weren't for all the shows I played around the North East, and beyond, when I was starting out," remarked the artist. "These spaces are legendary, but they are struggling."
Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these locations have ceased operations – roughly 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
Recently, top acts including the band Pulp, Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the MVT in its initiatives to support the industry, by adding a small levy to their ticket costs, which goes to help independent venues.
Fender also joined in, collecting over £100k on his live tour to assist numerous grassroots venues across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The money helped venues that were dealing with potential shutdown due to difficulties stemming from water damage, blazes and family tragedies, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and noise complaints.
Additional spaces were granted financial assistance in upgrading infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted artists and audiences.
"The concept that money from performances in big venues helps the smaller venues, where it begins for artists like me, is just common sense," Fender has stated.
The musician is not the first artist to donate his honor funds to charitable organizations.
In they earned the trophy in the year 1996 for their album their work, lead singer Cocker stated that the act would donate their prize money to the non-profit the charity.
In 2002, artist the artist shared her bounty between a few good causes, like the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"And I contributed a thousand pounds to Highgate Newtown, to their classes, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they required better apparatus," she told the media.
In recent years, the band contributed their prize money to the local youth club that developed their act, alongside other grassroots music organisations.
And 1994 winners M People gave their winnings to a charity for MS after a friend was diagnosed the disease.
"Receiving the award was sufficient," stated artist Heather Small. "The prize was the bonus but we could do without the cherry, because we had the honor. So our success impacted another person's life."
Recently, the MVT shared it had protected two grassroots venues in the South East, by bringing them into local control.
One venue in Southampton and the other in Bristol were acquired under the community ownership initiative, which is supported by the arts council and enthusiasts who purchase "stakes" in the venues.
