Our history

September 2024 – Launch of new report – Held Back: Poverty of LGBTQI Refugees in the UK.

August 2024 – Sonia Lenegan joins Micro Rainbow as its first non-executive Director of Policy.

July 2024 – Our Founder and CEO, Sebastian Rocca wins  Pioneering Leader of the Year at the NatWest SE100 Social Business Awards

July 2024 – Top UK Social Enterprise for the 4th year in a row.

June 2024 – Sebastian Rocca Shortlisted for Purpose Entrepreneur of the Year 2024 in the British Entrepreneur Awards 

June 2023 – Top 100 UK Social Enterprise for 3rd year running

June 2023 – Micro Rainbow’s National Director, Moud Goba, awarded the BET Global Good Award

March 2023 – Micro Rainbow awarded Charity of the Year at the Burberry British Diversity Awards

December 2022 – Micro Rainbow’s National Manager Moud Goba is named on the BBC 100 Women 2022 list, in recognition of her work with LGBTQI refugees and asylum seekers

November 2022 – Micro Rainbow opens its 18th safe house for LGBTQI asylum seekers

October 2022 – Lady Phyll  joins Micro Rainbow as its very first patron

July 2022 – Micro Rainbow collaborated with BBC on the documentary Fleeing Afghanistan: Free to be me

July 2022 – Micro Rainbow’s CEO Sebastian Rocca is interviewed on BBC News Channel about our work in supporting LGBTQI people from Afghanistan

June 2022 – Micro Rainbow is named One of the Top 100 social enterprises in the NatWest SE100 Index 2022 for the second year running

June 2022 – Micro Rainbow’s safe housing programme features in a documentary for Channel 5 news

February 2022 – Micro Rainbow launched the first ever helpline for LGBTQI people fleeing the Taliban regime for Afghan refugees arriving in the UK

December 2021 – Micro Rainbow’s Founder and CEO, Sebastian Rocca, receives honorary fellowship from Social Enterprise UK for his contribution to supporting the social enterprise movement

August 2021 – Micro Rainbow is shortlisted as a Finalist in the UK Social Enterprise Awards

August 2021 – Micro Rainbow is named One of the Top 100 social enterprises in the NatWest SE100 Index 2021

March 2021 – Micro Rainbow secures social investment to expand its housing scheme throughout the UK

September 2019 – Micro Rainbow and its corporate partner Weil Gotshal and Manges win the prestigious Lord Mayor’s Dragon Award for Innovation

August 2019 – Micro Rainbow reaches the milestone of 10 safe houses in three UK locations

December 2018 – MRI changes its name to Micro Rainbow and focuses its programming on the United Kingdom only. All MRI’s international work is undertaken by the Micro Rainbow International Foundation. For more information about the work in Cambodia and Brazil, please visit the Micro Rainbow International Foundation website

November 2018 – Winners of the William Sutton Prize for social entrepreneurship and innovation

August 2018 – MRI opens the first two safe houses for LGBTQI asylum seekers in the West Midlands

May 2018 – MRI celebrates training over 150 LGBTQI people in Rio de Janeiro on starting a small business

April 2018 – MRI wins the “CSR programme of the year” awarded by the Legal Business

March 2018 – MRI starts reaching out to LGBTQI people in rural areas in Cambodia

February 2018 and September 2018 – MRI opens two more safe houses in the London area

January 2018 – MRI’s housing project is featured on Channel 4 News

October 2017 – MRI opens the first safe house for LGBTQI asylum seekers in the United Kingdom

October 2017 – MRI wins the Thomson Reuters Foundation award for Innovation

August 2017 – launch of the report “LGBT Entrepreneurship: case studies of socioeconomic empowerment in Rio de Janeiro between 2015-2017”

August 2017 – MRI is a winner of the Láurea CAF 2017 award, which acknowledges the best initiatives in support of micro entrepreneurship in Brazil

November 2016 – MRI’s housing project is one of the finalists in the European Union Social Innovation Award

August 2016 – launch of the first 20 LGBTQI owned small businesses in Brazil

July 2016 – MRI’s director Jill Power is recognised with the prestigious “Change Makers” award

May 2016 – launch of the first report on poverty of LGBTQI people in Cambodia

April 2016 – the Ambassador of the European Union in Brazil visits and supports MRI’s project in Rio de Janeiro

January 2015 – EU funding is secured to support LGBTQI people in poverty in Brazil to set up small businesses

June 2014 – launch of the first report on poverty of LGBT people in Brazil

January 2014 – LGBTQI poverty mentioned for the first time at the United Nations by MRI

October 2013 – launch of the first report on poverty of lesbian and gay refugees in the United Kingdom

September 2013 – MRI programme in Cambodia begins

September 2012 – key consultations in Brazil take place and MRI programme in Brazil begins

July 2012 – MRI programme in the United Kingdom begins

June 2012 – Micro Rainbow International (MRI) officially registers in the United Kingdom as a not-for-profit social enterprise