What Zakat Foundation Of India does

Zakat Foundation of India (ZFI) is a non-governmental, non-profit charitable trust established in 1997 in New Delhi and registered under the Indian Trusts Act, Sections 12A & 80G of the Income-tax Act, the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, and the Trade Mark Act. The organization collects and distributes Islamic charitable contributions (zakat, sadaqa, imdaad) for socially beneficial projects targeting India's minority Muslim community, which constitutes approximately 13.4% of the population (~150 million citizens per the Sachar Report) but only 1-4.5% of civil services, judiciary, and government positions. ZFI operates through multiple wholly-owned units: Sir Syed Coaching & Guidance Centre for civil services examination preparation with hostel accommodation; Happy Home Orphanages caring for 100+ children affected by the Gujarat riots (2002), tsunami (2004), and Assam riots (2011-12); Medical Services at Bahraich and New Delhi; Haj Fund of India (a Shari'ah-compliant riba-free savings scheme operated via Bank of India branches); a Microfinance Program; Disaster Relief operations; ZFI Ladies Wing for women's empowerment; National Waqf Academy; and the Ashab-e-Suffa Institute for religious leadership training.

ZFI's business model relies on charitable donations, foreign contributions (FCRA-registered), and savings deposits as primary inflows. Services are provided free or highly subsidized to beneficiaries. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed; the organization cites a per-fellow support cost exceeding INR 2,00,000 (US$3,000) per competitive cycle for coaching, accommodation, and personal expenses. A Self-Financing Option offers subsidized coaching at Rs 1.5 lakh for candidates outside the merit list. Geographic reach spans 15+ Indian cities including Delhi, Srinagar, Lucknow, Bhopal, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Jaipur, with local units in Kashmir, Ladakh, and Bahraich.

The organization is led by Dr. Syed Zafar Mahmood (President, since founding in 1997) and operates with a lean 17-employee headcount supplemented by volunteers. Distribution occurs through direct service delivery, government partnerships (notably the 2018 MOU with Madhya Pradesh State Waqf Board), and banking partners. ZFI maintains a digital presence via its website, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, with online donation capability through OWCF/ICICI Bank. The technology stack is non-proprietary; ZFI is not technology-focused and does not offer applications, APIs, or AI-driven services.

Name

Zakat Foundation Of India

Legal name

Zakat Foundation of India

Website

https://zakatindia.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Zakat Foundation of India is a non-profit charitable trust established in 1997 that collects Islamic charitable contributions to empower India's minority Muslim community through civil services coaching, orphanages, medical services, disaster relief, and Shari'ah-compliant Haj savings schemes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New Delhi

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Zakat and Charitable Donations: Collection of zakat (Islamic charity), sadaqa, imdaad and other charitable contributions from donors to fund socially beneficial projects including orphanages, hospitals, scholarships, and civil services coaching.
2. Haj Fund Savings Management: Haj Fund of India operates as a Riba-Free savings scheme for Indian Muslims to save for Haj pilgrimage. Part of deposits are utilized for microfinance loans to poor Muslims, with depositors' zakat payments made to ZFI on their behalf.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Zakat Foundation of India is a non-profit charitable trust that collects and distributes Islamic charity (zakat, sadaqa, imdaad) to fund socially beneficial projects. Its core offerings span civil services examination coaching with full scholarship support, orphanages for riot and disaster-affected children, medical services, a Shari'ah-compliant riba-free Haj savings scheme, microfinance loans to poor Muslims, disaster relief operations, and women's empowerment programs targeted at India's Muslim minority community.

Product overview

Zakat Foundation of India operates as a non-profit charitable organization with a diverse portfolio of social welfare programs rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include: (1) Sir Syed Coaching & Guidance Centre for Civil Services - providing comprehensive UPSC exam coaching with hostel accommodation; (2) Happy Home Orphanages - three facilities caring for over 100 children affected by riots and natural disasters; (3) Medical Services through Mercy Home Medical Centres; (4) Haj Fund of India - a Shari'ah-compliant savings scheme for pilgrims; (5) Microfinance Program for economic empowerment; (6) Scholarship Database; (7) Disaster Relief operations; (8) ZFI Ladies Wing for women's empowerment; (9) Ashab-e-Suffa Institute for religious leaders; (10) Local units in Kashmir, Ladakh, and Bahraich; (11) National Waqf Academy for Waqf property management. The organization also provides various educational programs including Junior Fellowship, Girls Tailoring Institutes, Ittehaad-e Madaaris, and the Taleemi Caravan mobile education program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Haj Fund of India: A unit of Zakat Foundation providing riba-free savings scheme for Haj pilgrimage with Shari'ah Advisory Council supervision
• Sir Syed Coaching & Guidance Centre
• Happy Home Orphanage
• National Waqf Academy
• ZFI Ladies Wing
• Ashab-e-Suffa Institute for Imams & Khateebs

Products and services

• Sir Syed Coaching and Guidance Centre for Civil Services Comprehensive civil services examination coaching programme that selects, accommodates, and coaches academically meritorious Muslim candidates for the UPSC Civil Services Examination, providing hostel accommodation, coaching at premier institutes such as Vajiram, Synergy, Sri Ram, Ensemble, and Interactions, and interview preparation.
• Happy Home Orphanage Three orphanages (two in New Delhi for boys and girls, one in Bahraich for boys) accommodating over 100 children affected by the 2002 Gujarat riots, 2004 tsunami, and 2011-12 Assam riots, providing housing, food, clothing, and education at nearby schools including God's Grace School.
• Medical Services / Mercy Home Medical Centre Medical assistance programmes including Mercy Home Medical Centres at Zakat House in Bahraich and Madanpur Khadar, New Delhi, providing healthcare services to underprivileged communities.
• Haj Fund of India Shari'ah-compliant riba-free savings scheme that helps Indian Muslims save for Haj pilgrimage, operated with a Shari'ah Advisory Council and utilizing part of deposits for community microfinance loans to poor Muslims, with depositors' zakat payments made to ZFI on their behalf.
• Microfinance Programme Short-term microfinance loans to poor Muslims enabling economic empowerment, such as loans to rickshaw pullers to purchase vehicles instead of paying daily rent.
• Disaster Relief Operations Relief operations for natural disasters and communal riots including Bihar floods (2017, 2008), Kashmir floods (2014), Muzaffarnagar riots (2013), tsunami (2004), and Gujarat riots (2002).
• ZFI Ladies Wing Women's empowerment wing focused on education, medical facilities, financial assistance for couples, and organizing counseling sessions for women and girls.
• Ashab-e-Suffa Institute for Imams and Khateebs Training institute for Imams (prayer leaders) and Khateebs (Friday sermon speakers) to enhance their skills in delivering effective sermons and religious guidance.
• National Waqf Academy Unit focused on protecting and managing Waqf (Islamic endowments) properties in India, maintaining a database of Waqf-related developments, providing Standard Operating Procedures, and monitoring resolution of Waqf issues.
• Zakat House Bahraich / Skill Development Centre Bahraich unit comprising a Women Empowerment Centre, Medical Centre, Happy Home, Computer Training, Library and Reading Room, and weekly moral upliftment sessions.
• Sir Syed Coaching and Guidance Centre Bhopal Branch Bhopal branch in collaboration with the Madhya Pradesh Waqf Board providing civil services coaching along with a library and reading room.
• ZFI Kashmir Unit Local unit in Kashmir providing coaching for competitive examinations; over 10 years, 131 Kashmiri boys and girls were coached in the Delhi facility, with 27 joining various government services including IAS, IPS, IRS, and Judiciary.
• Girls Tailoring Institutes Skill development programme for school dropout girls to learn tailoring and sewing skills for economic independence.
• Taleemi Caravan Mobile education programme that travels across India to provide educational outreach and guidance, hosted by various ZFI units in multiple cities.
• ZFI Junior Fellowship Civil services orientation programme for students of classes 9-12, aiming to prepare younger students for competitive examinations at an early stage.
• Online Donation Platform Online donation facility for Indian donors through OWCF/ICICI Bank, with various payment options and donation terms.

Quantifiable outcome

• 26 ZFI Fellows selected to join Indian Civil Service in 2018 alone
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Madhya Pradesh State Waqf BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 September 2018MOU signed between ZFI and MPSWB for civil services coaching. Waqf Board leased double story building within its premises in Bhopal to ZFI for civil services work along with library & reading room. Joint orientation programs conducted in Indore and Bhopal.
• Bank of IndiacoreOthersHaj Fund of India account (No. 603020110000239) managed through Bank of India. Donations and deposits accepted at any branch of Bank of India across India.
• Haj Committee of IndiaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHaj Committee of India issued appreciation letter for Haj Fund of India initiative and suggested wide publicity through press and electronic media.
• Ismat Literacy Centre, AligarhminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPAHCHAAN facility supported by ZFI to help and educate school dropout girls.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Edhi Foundation: Pakistan-based humanitarian foundation operating orphanages, ambulances, and relief operations. Comparable peer in faith-rooted charitable model and orphanage operations, but serving a different national geography.
• Mercy Malaysia: Malaysia-based Muslim medical and humanitarian relief organization running disaster response, medical missions, and community development. Peer in faith-rooted disaster relief and community service delivery across Muslim-majority communities.

Direct peers

• Human Appeal International: UK-based Muslim charity delivering humanitarian relief, education, and livelihood programs globally. Peer in faith-rooted community empowerment model and Zakat/Sadaqa distribution focus.
• Zakat Foundation of America: US-based zakat collection and distribution charity with a near-identical mission to ZFI: mobilizing Islamic charity for humanitarian, educational, and emergency relief programs. Most directly comparable peer given shared branding, mission, and operational model.
• Helping Hand for Relief and Development (HHRD): US-registered Muslim humanitarian organization running orphan sponsorships, education support, disaster relief, and livelihoods programs across multiple countries. Direct operational peer to ZFI's orphanages, disaster relief, and microfinance lines.
• Penny Appeal: UK-based Muslim charity focused on emergency appeals, orphan care, water/sanitation, and livelihoods. Peer in small-donation-driven Islamic charity model and comparable programmatic mix to ZFI.
• National Zakat Foundation (UK): UK charity that collects and distributes zakat on behalf of British Muslims, with structured scholarship, hardship, and community programs. Direct peer operating the same zakat-aggregation model in a different geography.

Others

• Akhuwat: Pakistan's largest interest-free microfinance provider, operating Qard-al-Hassan loans to low-income families. Comparable to ZFI's microfinance arm in Shari'ah-compliant lending to underbanked Muslim populations.

Broad incumbents

• Muslim Aid: Established UK-based Muslim charity with global humanitarian, education, and emergency response operations. Comparable as a broader faith-rooted NGO with overlapping program categories (relief, education, community development).
• Islamic Relief Worldwide: Largest international Muslim humanitarian NGO, operating global emergency relief, livelihoods, and advocacy programs. Comparable as a faith-based charitable foundation, but materially larger and more diversified than ZFI.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/zakatindia
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC88xYeg3k0thsO-DEVPVyxg
• Facebookfacebook.com/zakatindia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zakat-foundation-of-india

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zakat Foundation Of India