When you give zakat or sadaqah in Canada, two things should be non-negotiable: the charity should be registered with the Canada Revenue Agency, and it should be transparent about where the money goes. CRA registration matters for a practical reason — only a registered charity (a "qualified donee") can issue the official donation receipt you need to claim Canada's Charitable Donation Tax Credit — and for an accountability reason: registered charities must file a public annual information return (Form T3010) that anyone can look up on the CRA List of Charities.
This guide profiles seven CRA-registered Canadian Muslim charities. For each one we verified the CRA registration number against public records, checked whether the organization publishes a substantive zakat policy, and noted where an independent evaluator — Charity Intelligence Canada, Canada's main independent charity research organization — has published a profile. We do not accept payment for placement in this list; see our charity rating methodology for how we evaluate organizations.
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The seven charities at a glance
| Charity | CRA Registration No. | Headquarters | Primary focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Islamic Relief Canada | 821896875RR0001 | Burlington, ON | Global emergency relief, water, orphans (30+ countries) |
| National Zakat Foundation Canada | 839912599RR0001 | Toronto, ON | Zakat distributed 100% within Canada |
| Human Concern International | 107497125RR0001 | Ottawa, ON | International development and relief (est. 1980 — Canada's oldest Muslim charity) |
| Muslim Welfare Canada | 897331732RR0001 | Scarborough, ON | Domestic poverty relief: food banks, women's shelter, medical clinics |
| Penny Appeal Canada | 827502741RR0001 | Toronto, ON | Orphan care, water, hunger relief at home and abroad |
| Muslim Hands Canada | 811264985RR0001 | Mississauga, ON | Global relief and development through the Muslim Hands network |
| ICNA Relief Canada | 118951169RR0001 | Scarborough, ON | Domestic social services and international relief |
You can verify any of these registrations yourself in under a minute: search the charity's name or registration number on the CRA List of Charities, where you can also read the charity's T3010 filings — revenue, expenditures, compensation bands, and international activities.
Islamic Relief Canada
Islamic Relief Canada is the largest Muslim charity in the country by donations — Charity Intelligence reports C$85.8 million in donations for fiscal 2024 — and part of the global Islamic Relief Worldwide network active in more than 30 countries. It runs large-scale emergency response (Gaza, Sudan, Syria, Pakistan floods), long-term water and sanitation projects, orphan sponsorship, and a growing set of Canadian domestic programs. It publishes a zakat policy explaining how zakat funds are ring-fenced for eligible recipients under the eight Qur'anic categories, and it is independently profiled by Charity Intelligence Canada. Read our full profile of Islamic Relief Canada.
National Zakat Foundation Canada
NZF Canada is the specialist in this list: it collects zakat from Canadian Muslims and distributes 100% of it within Canada, to recipients vetted against the eight zakat categories — new Muslims, refugees, people facing homelessness or domestic abuse, and families in financial crisis. Charity Intelligence reports C$8.5 million in donations for 2023. If your position (or your scholar's) is that zakat should support your local community first, NZF is the most direct way to do that in Canada. It also publishes detailed annual zakat distribution reports. Read our full profile of National Zakat Foundation Canada.
Human Concern International
Founded in Ottawa in 1980, HCI is Canada's oldest Muslim charity, with more than four decades of international development work — emergency relief, orphan support, livelihoods, health, and education programs across Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. It publishes audited financial statements and a zakat policy on its website. Read our full profile of Human Concern International.
Muslim Welfare Canada
Muslim Welfare Canada (founded 1994) is one of the strongest options for donors who want their money working inside Canada: it operates halal food banks in the Greater Toronto Area, Muslim Welfare Home (a shelter for homeless women and children), and free medical clinics. It accepts both zakat and sadaqah and serves people of all backgrounds. Read our full profile of Muslim Welfare Canada.
Penny Appeal Canada, Muslim Hands Canada, ICNA Relief Canada
Penny Appeal Canada (registered 2019) focuses on orphan care ("OrphanKind"), clean water, and hunger relief, with both Canadian and international programs, and is profiled by Charity Intelligence. Muslim Hands Canada channels Canadian donations into the global Muslim Hands network's schools, water projects, and emergency response. ICNA Relief Canada combines domestic social services — food programs, refugee settlement support — with international relief appeals. All three are CRA-registered and issue official donation receipts.
Which charities accept zakat — and how they handle it
All seven organizations accept zakat and publish zakat policies. The differences worth knowing: NZF Canada distributes zakat exclusively within Canada; Islamic Relief, HCI, Penny Appeal, and Muslim Hands primarily distribute zakat internationally; Muslim Welfare Canada and ICNA Relief split between domestic and international. If you follow the opinion that zakat should reach the poorest recipients wherever they are, the international distributors give your dollar the most purchasing power; if you follow the local-first opinion, NZF and Muslim Welfare Canada are built for it. Calculate what you owe first with our zakat calculator.
Your donation receipt and the tax credit
Because all seven are registered charities, each will issue an official donation receipt. For 2026, the federal Charitable Donation Tax Credit is 14% on your first $200 of total annual donations and 29% on everything above that (33% to the extent your taxable income exceeds $258,482), plus a provincial credit on top. A $5,000 zakat payment in Ontario returns roughly $1,966 at tax time. Full mechanics, worked examples, and the rules on carry-forwards are in our guide: Is zakat tax-deductible in Canada?
How to vet any charity yourself
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See side-by-side comparisons of Shariah-compliant products, or let our matcher recommend the best options for your situation.
- Confirm registration on the CRA List of Charities — if it's not there, you won't get a valid donation receipt.
- Open the charity's latest T3010 return on the same CRA page: check total revenue, the split between charitable programs and management/fundraising, and whether it reports foreign activities.
- Look for a published zakat policy — a serious zakat institution explains which of the eight categories it funds and whether it takes an administration portion.
- Check Charity Intelligence Canada for an independent profile with results reporting and overhead analysis.
- Look for audited financial statements on the charity's own website — larger charities should post them annually.
Browse full profiles, compare organizations side by side, and filter by cause in our Muslim charity directory. For how zakat itself works — nisab, rates, and who qualifies — start with our zakat guide and zakat FAQ.
