Islamic-American Zakat Foundation

We assess, collect and distribute mandatory (ZAKAT) and voluntary (SADAQA) Islamic charity primarily to assist the poor and needy in America and seek to help them attain self-sufficiency.

How do you help people in my community?

We help poor and needy people all over the United States, of different races, and a wide variety of national origins, but 2/3 of the families we assist live in our own local community of DC , Maryland or Virginia.

When we work with clients in other localities we make a special effort to collaborate with agencies in those localities.

Although the majority of our clientele are Muslims, a large number are Christians and occasionally members of another (or no religious) community have been helped.

Why do you need my support?

The requests for assistance always exceed the funds available and we are constantly challenged to decide the most effective distribution possible.

• A $600 gift can prevent a family from losing their home,
  
• A $30 gift can buy an unemployed head of household a bus pass needed to look for work.

90% of donations go directly to pay the bills of the needy or for social service assistance and most of the rest covers our overhead costs. Only 1-2% is spent on fundraising, such as this advertisement.

We always try to counsel our clients on how to become self-sufficient so that the difference in their lives might be a permanent one. Our vision is to facilitate a society in which the more fortunate eagerly devote a part of their wealth to helping the less fortunate overcome the challenges they face to become successful enough to join the ranks of those who help others.

We are different in that doing charitable work is for us a holy struggle in which we try to compete with others in the doing of good deeds.

How can I be sure that you will use my money wisely and won't waste it?

We are completely transparent.

Our financial reports are posted on the Internet; our board meetings are open to the general public, and any donor or volunteer may become a member of the governing body that elects  the board of directors.

The board currently consists of well-regarded community leaders including a retired African-American imam, an Afro-Cuban-American accountant and lawyer, an Egyptian-American woman active in her Islamic Weekend school, the Palestinian-American head of a Washington area think-tank, and a Pakistani-American working for the U.S. government in a medical related agency, and an Egyptian-American engineer. Their wide variety of ethnic and professional backgrounds as well as their honored standings in the community are a source of confidence in the integrity of our operations.

We are audited every year by an independent CP, and make a good faith effort to abide by the Treasury Dept.'s "best practices." We are registered with the consumer affairs departments in Maryland and Virginia.

Can I Volunteer? How?

You may volunteer to assist us in our envelope stuffings, or you may volunteer to become an "ansar" to work with the poor and needy to help them with their struggles, or you may volunteer to do special services such as acting as a translator for non-English speaking clients, or provide any special skills you have for our clients as dentists, therapists, and lawyers have done in the past.