Racial bias in home appraising can harm individuals by making home purchases more expensive or refinancing unattainable, but when compounded on the community level, it can have profound impacts on minority communities’ ability to build wealth. Using newly available federal data, this report finds evidence of systemic appraisal bias that undervalues homes in predominantly Black communities in Baltimore City and the surrounding counties.

Adapted from remarks by Crickett Woloson, past co-chair of the Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (or REDI) Committee of the Baltimore Women’s Giving Circle and trustee of The Elbow Fund, delivered at the Philanos POWER UP Conference "Stepping into Trust-Based Philanthropy" session on November 6, 2023. The session offered a chance for philanthropy peers to share learnings from shifts they've made to their grant processes. For the BWGC, the Grants Lab offered an opportunity to rethink, try, adjust, and try again.