RUNWAY Roots Media Kit

Table of Contents

ABOUT RUNWAY ROOTS

RUNWAY Roots is a Black woman-founded financial innovation firm and the home for reparative finance. Unlike conventional financial institutions, our work is built on a financial framework that centers founders and entrepreneurs, redefines risk, and emphasizes community decision-making. We develop and manage funds, financial products, and programming to educate and shift the culture of finance toward an economy that loves Black people. 

MISSION​​

RUNWAY Roots catalyzes economic justice by shifting capital, power, and the culture of finance to nurture liberation, power building, and generational wealth in Black communities.

VISION​​

RUNWAY Roots catalyzes economic justice by shifting capital, power, and the culture of finance to nurture liberation, power building, and generational wealth in Black communities.

VALUES​​

REIMAGINATION

RECLAMATION

RELATIONSHIPS 

REPAIR

OUR STORY

RUNWAY Roots was founded on the belief that justice and self-determination must guide financial investments in Black businesses and communities. After witnessing racialized economic disparities post-Hurricane Katrina, Founder and CEO Jessica Norwood recognized the need for friends-and-family-style capital to address the funding barriers facing Black entrepreneurs. She saw that Black founders were ready to launch—but consistently denied access to capital—and set out to change that reality.

GROUNDED IN LOVE

RUNWAY Roots is decidedly and proudly committed to grounding our work in love. Anchoring ourselves in love isn’t necessarily the most popular move in an industry that’s historically defined success as prioritizing profits over everything, but it is a necessary move if we want to transform the financial ecosystem into an economy that loves Black people and commits to repair.

FUNDER MANIFESTO

The RUNWAY Roots Funder Manifesto is a call for a new financial code of conduct—one rooted in trust, liberation, and interdependence. 

POWER BUILDING MANIFESTO

The RUNWAY Roots Power Building Manifesto is grounded in the belief that power and wealth are collective rights. It calls for a shift away from extractive economics toward a reparative system that centers Black entrepreneurs, builds community wealth, and invests in shared futures.

STRATEGIC PARTNERS

Transforming the financial system takes capital, community, deep trust, and values-aligned partnerships. That’s why our work to provide early-stage funding and holistic support to our entrepreneurs has been powered from the beginning by our integral partnership with Uptima Entrepreneur Cooperative.

OUR IMPACT

We showcase data differently. Experience the transformative impact of reparative capital through rich narratives, intimate portraits, and visualized insights in the beautifully designed pages of RUNWAY Magazine.

Issue 001: Nourishment

Highlighting our 2019-2020 Impact

Issue 002: Grounded

Highlighting our 2020-2022 Impact

Issue 003: Coming Soon

Highlighting our 2022-2024 Impact

RUNWAY ROOTS LEADERSHIP & TEAM

LEADERSHIP

  • Jessica Norwood

    FOUNDER & CEO

    Bio

  • Nina Robinson

    NATIONAL FUND DIRECTOR

    Bio

  • Stephanie Glenn

    INVESTOR RELATIONS & DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

    Bio

  • Naima McQueen

    Training & Education Director

    Bio

  • Preston P. Price

    Chief Lending Officer

    Bio

  • Jamica El

    Creative Director

    Bio

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

In the ever-evolving landscape of finance and activism, language plays a pivotal role in shaping our understanding and actions. This glossary of terms serves as a foundation for our collective journey, defining key concepts that reflect our values and the theories and frameworks that influence our work. By articulating these definitions, we invite you to explore the principles of reparative capital, equitable financing, and impact investing through a lens of justice and Black liberation. While language is fluid and constantly shifting, establishing clear definitions allows us to communicate our beliefs about money and its role in repairing the conditions that uphold the racial wealth gap.