Is it permissible to pay Zakaah to a shelter of orphans or foundlings? What should I do?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

It is permissible to give Zakah to a shelter of foundlings because the children it takes care of are among the poor included by Allaah Almighty in the Noble Quran in the eight categories entitled to Zakah, provided that it is not obligated to shelter and spend on them and satisfy their needs; and that Zakah should be spent on them and not on buildings or those things of which the ownership does not go to them.

The shelter of orphans takes the same ruling as the shelter of foundlings, with the difference that Zakah should be spent only on the poor and needy among the orphans, since some orphans are not so, either because of property they inherited or a salary which suffices their needs, provided to them by the state and so on.

Allaah Knows best.