The artist donates twenty-five thousand pounds cash award to independent music venues
The artist has given the entirety of his twenty-five thousand pound Mercury Prize prize money to the MVT, which works to protect the UK's small music venues.
Fender was given the award on October 16 as his new release his work was named the top album of the previous year.
He has opted to donate the funds to the Music Venues Trust, in recognition of the essential function small stages played in his early career.
"I personally wouldn't be doing this success if it wasn't for all the performances I played around the region, and further afield, when I was beginning," remarked Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are in difficulty."
Beginning in 2023, more than 150 of these locations have permanently closed – approximately 16% of the entire UK sector.
Recently, well-known musicians such as the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to help venues survive, by adding a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which goes to help local stages.
He also joined in, raising over £100k on his 2024 arena tour to support numerous grassroots venues across Britain.
These funds assisted venues that were dealing with potential shutdown due to challenges arising from floods, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and sound issues.
Some locations obtained funding support in improving amenities and technical equipment that directly benefitted artists and audiences.
"The concept that funds from shows in big venues backs the independent spots, where it all starts for performers like me, is just common sense," Fender has said.
He is among several artists to donate his Mercury Prize funds to charitable organizations.
In they earned the trophy in the year 1996 for their release their work, lead singer Jarvis Cocker declared that the act would contribute their cash to the charity War Child.
That year, artist she shared her prize across a few organizations, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell organization.
"And I 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," Ms Dynamite told the media.
Two years ago, Ezra Collective donated their prize money to the community center that nurtured their group, as well as other independent music bodies.
Additionally winners that year the group contributed their winnings to a charity for MS after a close contact was found to have the disease.
"The victory was ample," stated vocalist the singer. "The money was the extra but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the cake. So our winning affected the lives of others."
Recently, the trust shared it had saved several grassroots venues in the South East, by bringing them into public stewardship.
One venue in Southampton and the second in Bristol were acquired under the public acquisition program, which is backed by Arts Council England and supporters who buy "shares" in the properties.