Mosque charities in the UK

Search the register of charities for England and Wales by name, number or area. Many mosques are run by a charity with a different registered name, such as a trust or welfare association, so ask the mosque for its charity number. Scotland (OSCR) and Northern Ireland (the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland) keep separate registers. If a mosque in England or Wales is not registered, ask why: a charity with income of £5,000 or less does not have to register.

No. Certifying a building for worship under the Places of Worship Registration Act 1855 is separate from registering a charity. The Charity Commission says this exception applies to buildings, not funds, so a charity that includes a registered place of worship and has income over £5,000 a year must normally register, unless another exception applies. The £100,000 threshold sometimes quoted is for excepted charities such as churches and chapels of certain Christian denominations; the Commission says charities linked to other faith bodies must register if their income is more than £5,000.

Donations to an appeal for a specific purpose must be used only for that purpose. Charity Commission guidance sets out what trustees must do if an appeal raises too little or its purpose cannot be achieved: use any secondary purpose the appeal stated, contact donors who asked for their money back, and, for gifts above the small-donation limit, start from the position that donors are entitled to a return. Some steps need the Commission’s authorisation. Read the appeal wording before giving and keep your receipt.

If you are a UK taxpayer and make a Gift Aid declaration to that charity, it can claim an extra 25p for every £1 you give. Your donations should not be more than four times the tax you paid in that tax year. The charity needs an HMRC charity reference number, which is separate from Charity Commission registration, so ask if you are unsure. Small donations of £30 or less, such as cash in a collection box, may be topped up through the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme without a declaration.

The register lists the charity’s trustees, its governing document and charitable objects, and the accounts and annual returns it has filed. The Charity Commission says trustees have independent control over, and legal responsibility for, a charity’s management and administration. If an appeal involves a building, HM Land Registry’s title register (£7 online for property in England and Wales) shows who owns it. Contact the charity through the details on the register if a collector or appeal is unfamiliar.

No. CharityCompare compares regulator filings. It does not issue religious rulings or certify that a fund can receive Zakat. Ask the mosque how it receives, holds and distributes Zakat and whether it keeps Zakat separate from building or general funds, then follow qualified religious guidance for your circumstances.

The Charity Commission and Fundraising Regulator advise checking the charity’s name and registration number on the register, making sure it is genuine before giving financial details, and taking care with emails, texts and links. They say a face-to-face collector should have a licence from the local authority, or the Metropolitan Police in Greater London. Paying by card or bank transfer to an account in the charity’s name leaves a record; ask for a receipt for larger cash gifts.

This page includes charities whose registered name uses “mosque”, “masjid” or “Islamic centre” (including Islamic cultural, community and education centres), because that is how the organisation describes itself. Many mosques are run by charities registered under other names, and spellings vary, so search our directory or the register by name or charity number. We never infer that an organisation is a mosque from its trustees’ names or the community it serves.

CharityCompare Clarity Scores summarise financial and disclosure measures from the dated filings shown on each profile. They do not establish programme effectiveness, clinical quality or the suitability of a service for an individual. Read the accounts period, missing-data notes and regulatory context before using a score.

Profiles are matched on the registered name only, which is how each organisation describes itself, not on activity text or the names of people involved. Organisations registered under other names are missed. Our 14 rated matches and 697 additional basic matches are not an official UK-wide count, and payment does not affect inclusion or ratings.