Out of 900 Islamic charities reviewed across the US, UK, Australia, Canada, and beyond, these five consistently rank at the top when you combine halal score, programme efficiency, and independently verified transparency — our Top 10 Muslim Charities article shows the broader field if you want to see more options. They are not the largest by revenue, and they are not the most recognisable by name. They are the ones whose numbers, verified through official government filings, hold up to scrutiny.
The ranking below uses Halal Score as the primary metric, a composite of Shariah compliance, what percentage of expenditure reaches beneficiaries, the quality of public disclosures, and governance structure. Programme percentage is the secondary filter: higher is better, but a lower percentage at genuine scale can still reflect responsible operations if the overhead is well-justified. All figures below are from the most recent available filings.
1. MATW Project
MATW (Muslims Around The World) Project scores the highest Halal Score of any organisation in the 900-charity database at 8.7/10. Founded in 2015 by Ali Banat after his cancer diagnosis, it has grown rapidly to $74.7 million in annual revenue while maintaining a 97% programme rate per its 2025 ACNC filing. Admin costs of $2.6 million represent just 3% of total expenditure. MATW focuses on orphan care, education, food security, and emergency relief across multiple countries. The combination of scale, efficiency, and verified transparency data earns it the top position in this ranking.
Source: ACNC Annual Report, 2025
2. Ummah Welfare Trust
Ummah Welfare Trust achieves the highest programme rate of any large-scale Muslim charity in this review: 99% of expenditure goes to charitable activities per its 2024 UK Charity Commission filing. Of total expenditure of approximately £59.1 million, only £907,000 went to fundraising, a ratio that is genuinely exceptional at this revenue level. The organisation works across food security, water, healthcare, and orphan support in some of the world’s most underserved regions. Its 92/100 transparency score reflects the depth and consistency of its public disclosures.
Source: UK Charity Commission Annual Return, 2024
3. Islamic Relief (UK)
Islamic Relief is the largest Muslim humanitarian organisation in the database by revenue. Its 2024 UK Charity Commission filing shows £275.6 million in total income with 91% reaching programmes. Admin costs are remarkably contained at £613,790, which is less than 0.3% of revenue for an organisation operating in over 40 countries. Fundraising costs of £11.2 million represent 4.1% of income, a proportionate figure for a global fundraising operation of this scale. The global network, established infrastructure, and consistent filing history give it a strong position despite the lower per-charity Halal Score relative to MATW and Ummah Welfare Trust.
Source: UK Charity Commission Annual Return, 2024
4. Helping Hand for Relief and Development
The top-ranked US charity in this list, Helping Hand operates in over 40 countries with disaster response, food security, clean water, and orphan support. For a fuller look at the best US-based options, see our review of the 10 best Muslim charities in the US. Its 2024 IRS 990 shows $89.3 million in revenue with 92% to programmes. Admin costs of $2.1 million (2.4%) are low by any standard. For US-based donors who prefer a domestic entity with IRS accountability and a zakat-eligible structure, Helping Hand is the most financially efficient large-scale option in the database.
Source: IRS Form 990, 2024
5. Muslim Aid America
Muslim Aid America places fifth in this global ranking and second among US-based charities, with 94% to programmes on $27 million in revenue. Its low admin rate of 2.1% and fundraising rate of 4.2% result in a combined overhead of just 6.3%. The strong asset base of $6.6 million provides financial resilience between campaigns. For donors who want a well-run, IRS-verified, US-based humanitarian operation at a scale that remains accountable, this is one of the most efficient in the database.
Source: IRS Form 990, 2024
A note on cause and geography
This ranking is not a recommendation that these are the only five charities worth supporting. Halal Score rewards efficiency and transparency, but it does not capture everything that matters in giving. A local mosque feeding programme might score lower on paper because it does not file with a regulator, but the impact in your community may be significant. A specialist orphan sponsor scheme might have a narrower cause area than a large humanitarian operation, but the specificity of the impact can be exactly what a donor needs for their zakat obligation.
Use these five as a baseline: if a charity you are considering cannot match the programme rates and transparency scores of the organisations above, that gap is worth understanding before you commit. Zakat+ carries the full breakdown for all 900 reviewed charities, including the ones that did not make this list but might be the right fit for your specific cause and geography.
All scores and financial data sourced from official government filings: ACNC (Australia), UK Charity Commission, and IRS Form 990. Data reflects most recent available filings as of August 2026.
