The artist has handed over the full amount of his £25k Mercury Prize cash to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to save the Britain's grassroots live music spots.
The star was presented with the prize on mid-October as his new release People Watching was named the best record of the last 12 months.
Fender has chosen to donate the funds to the trust, in acknowledgment of the essential function grassroots venues fulfilled in his beginning days.
"I personally couldn't be pursuing what I am doing today if it weren't for all the gigs I played around the region, and beyond, when I was starting out," remarked the artist. "These spaces are iconic, but they are in difficulty."
Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these venues have permanently closed – about 16% of the total UK scene.
In the last year, top acts such as Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the trust in its attempts to help venues survive, by adding a modest fee to their ticket costs, which supports local stages.
Fender also participated, generating in excess of £100,000 on his live tour to support numerous local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The donation helped spaces that were facing potential shutdown due to issues caused by floods, blazes and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, conflicts and noise complaints.
Additional spaces were granted monetary aid in improving facilities and technical equipment that directly benefitted artists and audiences.
"The concept that funds from concerts in big venues supports the independent spots, where it begins for artists like me, is just logical," the star has commented.
The musician is not the first artist to donate his honor winnings to good deeds.
Back when they received the award in 1996 for their release the album, vocalist Cocker announced that the group would donate their cash to the non-profit the charity.
During 2002, artist she split her prize across multiple organizations, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"I also donated a grand to my local community centre, to their gymnastics class, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they required updated gear," she shared with a publication.
In recent years, the band donated their funds to the youth organization that nurtured their group, in addition to other independent music bodies.
And the 1994 recipients M People contributed their winnings to a MS organization after a close contact was found to have the condition.
"Receiving the award was quite enough," said artist the singer. "The prize was the cherry on top but we could do without the extra, because we had the cake. So our winning impacted somebody else's life."
Recently, the trust announced it had saved two local spots in that region, by placing them under public stewardship.
The first in the city and the second in the city were bought under the community ownership program, which is backed by a national body and enthusiasts who acquire "shares" in the properties.
