The Impact World this Week: 16 April 2026

UK: BBC investigation ‘fuels stigma’ of LGBTQI asylum seekers, says social enterprise

A BBC report alleging people are falsely claiming asylum on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity is deeply misleading and risks harming those genuinely fleeing persecution, according to Micro Rainbow, a social enterprise supporting LGBTQI refugees and asylum seekers. The BBC investigation said a shadow industry of law firms and advisers is charging thousands of pounds to help migrants pretend to be gay in order to exploit asylum law and stay in the UK. In a statement, Micro Rainbow highlighted that the Home Office has previously been forced to confirm it had no evidence that “many” asylum cases based on sexual orientation are fraudulent, after then home secretary Suella Braverman made the claim. Micro Rainbow’s statement said the BBC’s framing of the story “fuels stigma and will sow mistrust of LGBTQI people seeking safety in the UK, while undermining an asylum system that is already under significant pressure.”

• Read more: We need more LGBTQ+ social enterprises – here’s why

Global: Grants available for mergers and acquisitions among impact investing support organisations

The impact investing field is growing, but fragmentation is holding it back, says the Ford Foundation, which is why it has co-funded a new $1m Collaboration Fund with the MacArthur Foundation. Led by the Sorenson Impact Institute, the fund aims to help organisations collaborate strategically, including, it says, through “mergers, acquisitions, and other forms of durable partnership” to “strengthen the field for the long term”. Grants can cover feasibility studies, legal and consulting fees, integration planning, staff transition support and strategic communications.

Scotland: Social investment simplified in new guide

Making sense of social investment can feel complex, particularly for social entrepreneurs considering it for the first time. To help them out, on Tuesday social investor Firstport published a new guide. The Entrepreneurs Guide to Social Investment includes key terminology, what it means to be investment-ready and how social investment differs from grants. The guide was developed in collaboration with Social Investment Scotland, Good Finance and The Ventures Lab.

• Watch our film about how social investment from Firstport is making an impact in Granton, Edinburgh

England: £1m-backed roadmap for place-based philanthropy launched

A “fundamental shift” in the relationship between philanthropists and government is a key aim of a new plan for growing place-based philanthropy, announced on Monday. Our Place to Give: A plan for growing place-based philanthropy outlines a “roadmap” to boost place-based philanthropy in England, backed by £1m. The plan forms one part of the government’s impact economy agenda, which is being driven forward by the new Office for the Impact Economy. Emily Braid, director of the Office for the Impact Economy, said its commitments include “developing capability and capacity in regional and local authorities to partner with philanthropists and impact capital more widely, and to develop the social infrastructure to better absorb place focused impact partnership policy initiatives.” 
 

Movers and Shakers

• Alex Robinson is stepping down as CEO of Hubbub, an environmental charity whose social enterprise arm is a former NatWest SE100 award winner. Two Hubbub founders, Gavin Ellis and Heather Poore, will become interim co-CEOs.
• Emily Darko has joined the board of Birmingham & Solihull Social Economy Consortium CIC (BSSEC) as a director. BSSEC is a network body that provides information to and for the social economy across Birmingham, Solihull & the West Midlands, England. Darko left her role as director of policy and research at Social Enterprise UK in December 2025.