The National Zakat Foundation (NZF) is the UK's only charity dedicated exclusively to collecting and distributing Zakat within the United Kingdom. Where most British Muslim giving flows overseas — to emergency relief, water projects and orphan sponsorship — NZF answers a question that is equally urgent: who receives Zakat among the Muslims living in Britain itself? In the financial year ending 31 December 2024, NZF reported income of £10.17 million and charitable expenditure of £8.23 million, supporting individuals and families facing hardship, housing insecurity and barriers to education and employment.
What NZF does and why it exists
Zakat is the third pillar of Islam — an obligatory transfer of wealth from those who have to those who qualify under Islamic law. For centuries, Muslim communities distributed Zakat locally, through mosques and community elders who knew their neighbours. NZF was founded in 2011 to restore that domestic function at national scale: calculating Zakat correctly, collecting it transparently, and distributing it to Muslims in genuine need across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Since founding, NZF has allocated more than £28 million and helped over 43,000 people.
NZF's grants fall into three core categories: Hardship Relief for those facing immediate financial crisis; Housing & Work to prevent homelessness and support pathways into employment; and Education to remove financial barriers to learning. Each application is assessed against classical Zakat eligibility criteria — ensuring that givers' religious obligation is fulfilled correctly and that recipients receive support with dignity.
2024 financial year: growth amid rising need
The Charity Commission records for the year ending December 2024 show NZF's total income reaching £10.17 million — up from £8.95 million the previous year — with total expenditure of £8.89 million. Of that, £8.23 million went directly to charitable activities. The growth reflects both increased Zakat collection and the rising cost-of-living pressures that have pushed more British Muslims into financial difficulty. NZF has responded by scaling its operations while investing in technology to process applications faster.
Zakat is for the poor, the needy, those employed to collect it, those whose hearts are to be reconciled, those in bondage, those in debt, those in the cause of Allah, and the wayfarer — an obligation from Allah.
Community Zakat Programme: Zakat at the mosque door
In 2024–2025, one of NZF's most significant developments has been the expansion of its Community Zakat Programme (CZP). Rather than requiring every applicant to navigate an online form, CZP partners with grassroots organisations — mosques, community centres and local charities — to deliver face-to-face, dignified Zakat assessments. Partners such as Huddersfield Community First and Leicestershire Zakah Foundation operate as Zakat Hubs where eligible Muslims can receive grants through compassionate, local support rather than impersonal bureaucracy.
The programme strengthens communities in two directions: recipients gain immediate relief and discover wider support services at their local mosque, while givers see their Zakat flowing to neighbours in genuine need. NZF is actively expanding the hub network to bring Zakat distribution into every major city in the UK.
Faster support when it matters most
Speed matters in hardship. NZF has invested in Microsoft automation and a unified data platform that reduced average wait times for grant decisions by 80% — from four or five months to a fraction of that time. The charity disburses grants daily and is working towards same-day application review, with a live Zakat map showing giving and receiving balances across UK counties. During Ramadan — when Zakat payments peak and need surges simultaneously — that responsiveness prevents short-term hardship from becoming long-term crisis.
Partnerships that multiply impact
NZF's domestic focus does not mean working in isolation. During Ramadan 2025, Muslim Aid partnered with NZF to distribute £100,000 in Zakat funds to Muslims across the UK facing financial hardship — including individuals and families impacted by inflation and the cost-of-living crisis. Such collaborations ensure that Zakat reaches the widest possible pool of eligible recipients while maintaining the theological rigour that givers expect.
- National Zakat Foundation — Charity Commission registered charity no. 1153719
- FY 2024 income: £10.17 million; charitable expenditure: £8.23 million
- Over £28 million allocated since 2011, helping more than 43,000 people
- Community Zakat Programme — local Zakat Hubs in Huddersfield, Leicester and expanding
- Grant categories: Hardship Relief, Housing & Work, and Education
For British Muslims who want their Zakat to serve their own community, NZF offers something rare: a national infrastructure built entirely for that purpose. The 2024–2025 figures confirm that domestic Zakat is not a side project of British Muslim giving — it is a growing, professional and deeply needed pillar of the UK's Muslim charitable sector.