The artist has given the entirety of his £25k award winnings to the Music Venues Trust, which functions to preserve the United Kingdom's grassroots music venues.
Fender was given the cheque on mid-October as his latest record People Watching was named the outstanding release of the last 12 months.
He has decided to hand the money over to the MVT, in appreciation of the essential function small stages played in his early career.
"As an artist would not have achieved my current career if it hadn't been for all the shows I did around the area, and further afield, when I was starting out," said Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are facing challenges."
Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these spaces have ceased operations – about 16% of the entire UK sector.
Recently, well-known musicians such as the band Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to keep the scene afloat, by applying a minor surcharge to their ticket costs, which supports local stages.
Fender also participated, raising more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to help thirty-eight small stages across England, Scotland, and Wales.
These funds helped spaces that were confronting possible closure due to difficulties stemming from water damage, fires and bereavements, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and sound issues.
Additional spaces were granted financial assistance in upgrading facilities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted artists and audiences.
"The idea that money from concerts in large arenas supports the local stages, where it all starts for performers like me, is just common sense," the star has said.
Fender is not the first artist to contribute his honor prize money to good deeds.
When the band won the award in 1996 for their record the album, frontman Cocker announced that the band would donate their prize money to the non-profit War Child.
In 2002, rapper and singer the artist split her bounty across several organizations, like the children's charity and a Sickle Cell organization.
"And I contributed a thousand pounds to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked updated gear," she shared with the media.
Two years ago, Ezra Collective gave their winnings to the local youth club that supported their act, in addition to other independent music bodies.
Also the 1994 recipients M People donated their winnings to a MS organization after a friend was identified with the illness.
"Winning was ample," said artist Heather Small. "The prize was the extra but we could do without the bonus, because we had the cake. So our victory touched another person's life."
In the past week, the trust shared it had rescued several small stages in that region, by placing them under local control.
One venue in Southampton and the other in the city were purchased under the Own Our Venues initiative, which is supported by the arts council and supporters who purchase "ownership units" in the properties.
