Is zakat obligatory on money endowed for the poor and needy?

There is no zakat on money endowed for a public cause, such as the poor or mosques, because it does not have a specific owner. Al-Nawawi stated this, saying: "If livestock is endowed for a public cause, such as the poor, or mosques, or غزَاة (those fighting for the sake of Allah), or orphans, and the like, there is no zakat on it, without dispute, because it does not have a specific owner." This is also what the Permanent Committee for Issuing Fatwas has ruled, confirming the absence of ownership in such cases.