Charitable associations whose aim is to help widows and orphans: Is it permissible to give them from the funds of zakah?

Question:
May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh. This questioner says: In our country, some respected individuals establish charitable associations whose aim is to help widows, orphans, and the elderly. These associations have sources of income, and one of their most important sources is zakah. Is it permissible to give them from the funds of zakah?

Answer:
Zakah is paid out at its proper time and is not given to associations that hold it in their boxes. Associations spend on the people of zakah and on others; they are not restricted to the people of zakah. They spend on projects that are among the channels of zakah, and on projects that are not among the channels of zakah, such as building schools and building mosques, which are not among the channels of zakah. Therefore, zakah is not given to associations; rather, it is paid at its proper time in its channels to the needy among the poor and the destitute, and to those mentioned by Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He.