The star has donated the complete sum of his twenty-five thousand pound Mercury Prize prize money to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to protect the United Kingdom's small concert spaces.
Fender was presented with the prize on mid-October as his third album People Watching was named the best record of the last 12 months.
He has decided to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in acknowledgment of the vital role local spots had in his beginning days.
"I personally wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if it hadn't been for all the shows I performed around the North East, and further afield, when I was beginning," stated the artist. "These spaces are iconic, but they are facing challenges."
Since the start of 2023, over 150 of these venues have shut down – roughly one-sixth of the whole industry in the UK.
Recently, well-known musicians such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to support the industry, by including a minor surcharge to their ticket prices, which goes to help local stages.
He also took part, collecting more than £100,000 on his live tour to assist 38 local spots across Britain.
The donation assisted locations that were confronting possible closure due to challenges caused by flooding, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as licensing issues, court cases and neighbor objections.
Additional spaces received monetary aid in upgrading facilities and gear that positively impacted artists and fans.
"The notion that money from shows in major spaces helps the local stages, where it begins for performers like me, is just logical," Fender has stated.
Fender is far from the only musician to donate his Mercury Prize prize money to worthy causes.
Back when Pulp received the award in 1996 for their album their work, frontman the singer declared that the group would contribute their prize money to the charity the charity.
In 2002, rapper and singer Ms Dynamite shared her award across several charities, including the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.
"Additionally, I contributed a thousand pounds to the center, to their classes, because I trained in gymnastics when I was growing up and they required updated gear," she shared with outlets.
In recent years, the band contributed their prize money to the community center that developed their act, as well as other local music groups.
And the 1994 recipients they donated their winnings to a MS organization after a friend was identified with the disease.
"Winning was quite enough," remarked artist Small. "The money was the bonus but we didn't need the cherry, because we had the cake. So our victory touched the lives of others."
Last week, the MVT shared it had rescued several local spots in south-east England, by placing them under local control.
The first in that area and the second in the city were bought under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is funded by a national body and enthusiasts who buy "ownership units" in the properties.
