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The artist has given the complete sum of his £25,000 award cash to the Music Venues Trust, which works to save the United Kingdom's independent concert spaces.

The star was presented with the award on October 16 as his new release the album was chosen as the best record of the past year.

He has opted to hand the money over to the trust, in appreciation of the crucial part grassroots venues played in his early career.

"As an artist wouldn't be doing my current career if it hadn't been for all the performances I performed around the region, and beyond, when I was beginning," said the artist. "These locations are iconic, but they are in difficulty."

Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these locations have ceased operations – about 16% of the whole industry in the UK.

In the last year, top acts such as the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all supported the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to keep the scene afloat, by adding a modest fee to their ticket costs, which goes to help smaller concert halls.

He also joined in, generating over £100k on his live tour to help thirty-eight local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.

These funds assisted spaces that were dealing with potential shutdown due to issues stemming from water damage, fire incidents and family tragedies, as well as regulatory hurdles, conflicts and neighbor objections.

Some locations received monetary aid in improving amenities and gear that directly benefitted performers and audiences.

"The notion that funds from shows in major spaces supports the local stages, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just sensible," Fender has said.

Fender is among several artists to donate his honor prize money to good deeds.

In Pulp received the prize in 1996 for their record Different Class, vocalist Cocker declared that the group would donate their cash to the charity War Child.

During 2002, musician she split her prize among multiple charities, like the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"I also contributed a grand to the center, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they required better apparatus," she told outlets.

Two years ago, Ezra Collective gave their funds to the youth organization that nurtured their act, alongside other independent music bodies.

Also 1994 winners M People donated their winnings to a MS organization after a friend was identified with the condition.

"Receiving the award was ample," remarked vocalist the singer. "The prize was the extra but we didn't need the bonus, because we had the honor. So our victory affected somebody else's life."

Recently, the Music Venues Trust shared it had protected a couple of small stages in south-east England, by bringing them into local control.

The Joiners in that area and The Croft in the city were bought under the Own Our Venues program, which is supported by a national body and supporters who buy "ownership units" in the buildings.