Financial Aid Policy

Financial Aid Policy of the IAR Social & Welfare Committee

  1. Financial Aid is provided from Zakat funds and therefore can be given only to individuals/applicants who qualify to receive Zakat. It is the responsibility of the Social & Welfare Committee to assess an applicant’s Zakat eligibility and will deny any applications that they determine to be non-Zakat eligible.
  2. To determine if an individual is Zakat-eligible, the Social & Welfare Committee requires documentation (such as bank statements, tax returns, paystubs, etc). Depending on circumstances additional documentation can be requested. If the required documentation does not exist the applicant needs to provide a valid and verifiable reason (proof) for the application to be considered.
  3. The Social & Welfare Committee conducts interviews with the applicants to understand their situation to help in final decision making. Only the applicant, and his/her spouse or immediate family members can attend the interviews with the Social & Welfare Committee interviewers.
  4. The Social & Welfare Committee requires 2 weeks for processing the application after all information on the form and required documentation is complete.
  5. The Social & Welfare Committee can verify the applicant’s information by running a credit check. By filling the form and signing it, the applicant authorizes the Social and Welfare Committee to investigate the applicants situation and income including performing a credit check and obtaining a credit report.
  6. Only individuals residing within the greater Raleigh area are eligible to apply for Financial Aid with IAR Social & Welfare Committee. Applications from outside Raleigh (like Durham, Chapel Hill) can be considered on a case-by-case basis.
  7. The Social & Welfare Committee of IAR does not provide funds directly to an applicant who requests monetary assistance. Checks are not written directly to the applicant but are written in the name of the third party to whom the applicant must pay. The IAR does not provide any cash payments to financial aid applicants. An applicant must provide a lease contract, bills, or other statements and documentation for which financial aid is being requested so that the amount and eligibility of the expense can be verified by Social & Welfare Committee staff.
  8. The Social & Welfare Committee of IAR does not provide funds to pay taxes on behalf of others (example, income tax due or property tax)
  9. The Social & Welfare Committee of IAR does not provide funds to cover airfare expenses or any immigration related fees (example, work authorization application fees).
  10. Financial Aid will only be provided to applicants who entered USA legally or are in the US legally. The applicant must bring a government issued picture ID and the Social Security card at the time of interview.
  11. Any payments towards bills which incur interest amounts or late fee need to be adjusted accordingly to take out such amounts. Social & Welfare Committee does not pay for interest or late fee of any sorts.
  12. Social & Welfare Committee has the right to deny any applications which request financial aid for items that are considered to be non-essential (example cable-TV service), or for those items that have alternative solutions, or are considered to be of entertainment value/purpose.
  13. The general rule to receive financial assistance through Social & Welfare Committee is once for every 12-month period. The maximum dollar amount limit per individual/applicant/family is $1,200 or other amount considered as reasonable to cover eligible expenses/bills. Both the frequency and the limit can be reviewed for special circumstances. However, this is by exception and requires the Social & Welfare Committee Chairperson’s approval.
  14. The decision of approval or denial rests with the Social & Welfare Committee. If the applicant disagrees with the decision the applicant can file an appeal in writing stating their reasons to the Chairperson of Social & Welfare Committee. Any misconduct, anger bursts, misbehavior or lack of cooperation by an applicant or his/her spouse/relatives can disqualify the applicant from receiving financial aid.
  15. Anyone who has received Financial Assistance through Social & Welfare Committee is not eligible to join Social & Welfare Committee to be a volunteer/staff member on the Committee for a period of 2 years from the date of receiving assistance.

Revised on March 30 2014.

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