National Zakat Foundation is a 2-star charity. The charity has a C- Results Reporting grade, which is below average. Its overhead spending is within Ci’s reasonable range. The charity's reserve funds can cover program costs for 3 months, also within Ci’s reasonable range.

Founded in 2013, National Zakat Foundation (NZF) supports Muslims across Canada by making religious giving (Zakat) simpler and more transparent. The charity reports there are 99,300 Muslims who are Zakat eligible in Canada. In 2023, NZF ran four major programs: Nisa Homes, Food, Housing, and Essentials. The charity spent $7.9m on its programs and grants in 2023. NZF helped 12,138 people in 2023, of which 5,341 were children, 4,622 were men, and 2,175 were women. 

Nisa Homes received 48% ($3.8m) of program spending in 2023. The program offers housing for Muslim domestic violence survivors across Canada. NZF moved the program to Nisa Foundation in September 2024. Ci did not find any mention of the program in the 2023 annual report. 

Food received 33% ($2.6m) of program spending in 2023. The program provides fresh, halal food packages and gift cards to support Muslims in need. In 2023, NZF delivered 2,230 fresh food packages, provided 3,736 meals, and gave food gift cards to 6,475 people. 

Housing received 12% ($944k) of program spending in 2023. The program gives rent subsidies to Muslims with housing challenges. NZF supported 1,421 people and 379 households in 2023. This works out to $2.6k per household. 

Essentials received 5% ($393k) of program spending in 2023. The charity helps poor families pay for medical support, transportation, and utilities. The Essentials program supported 1,507 people in 2023. This works out to $265 per person. 

NZF spent the remaining 2% ($157k) of its program costs on its Zakat Education program and its Seasonal program.

National Zakat Foundation's audited financial statements follow activity-based costing, a best practice. The charity received $7.8m in Canadian donations and $753k in international donations in 2023. The total of $8.5m is 80% of revenue. It received $916k in government funding.

The charity spent $7.9m on its programs and grants in 2023, which is 81% of revenue. NZF ran a deficit of $1.1m, meaning it drew on its reserves to fund its operations.  It spent $1.6m on fundraising, which is 21% of donations, and it spent $1.2m on administration, which is 12% of revenue. For every dollar donated to the charity, 68 cents are available to go to the cause. This is within Ci’s reasonable range.

NZF has $1.9m in its reserves (cash and investments). These funds can cover the charity’s program costs for almost three months. This is within Ci’s reasonable range.  

Updated on August 15, 2025 by Joshua Leduc. This update has been sent to the charity and changes may be forthcoming.