Believers pay Zakat al-Fitrah at Islamic centers in the West by placing it in designated boxes before performing Eid prayers in order to deliver it to the deserving poor among the believers. If the total amount of funds exceeds the need or the deserving poor believers in the area are few, is it permissible to spend it on the development of Islamic centers or the expenses of some of the educational and outreach initiatives and programs?
Zakat al-Fitrah is spent exclusively on the poor believers based on obligatory precaution and is not permissible to be spent on other charitable causes. It can be transferred to poor believers in other regions; however, it is better to give it to the jurist (marja).