100% of every contribution given on this ledger, less payment-processor fees, funds scholarships at the School of Critical Design, an education project from Neeley Worldwide Ltd — covering course places for recipients and the cost of delivering them. Confessions themselves are free to submit and publish; any contribution is entirely voluntary and buys nothing. The School runs virtual self-completed courses, in-person workshops, and a global community of practitioners — a UK-based design education programme that trains designers to refuse the kinds of work confessed here. (Read the full related-party disclosure.)
The School receives applications from emerging-market designers and early-career practitioners around the world — people who would otherwise have no access to design education at this level. Top university masters programs like the Royal College of Art (where the School also teaches) cost students tens of thousands of pounds a year. The School’s virtual self-completed courses are designed to be a fraction of that.
These are two different figures. The first is what Reparations.design has raised since it launched. The second is the School of Critical Design’s cumulative scholarship funding, almost all of which pre-dates this ledger. Figures from the School of Critical Design. Updated yearly.
The School is finding ways to be a more inclusive and representative forum as it addresses the critical challenges facing our planet, people, and organisations.
We understand that income, means, and time are unequal across personal, regional, and global contexts. To accommodate these differences the School has built a virtual, self-completed course that’s far more accessible than its in-person and live virtual workshops.
We hope this version of the teaching material and experience can allow participation and world-class development without financial anxiety.
With that said, if there are particular situations where this pricing is still difficult, please reach out and the School will look to work with your individual context.
Operator and merchant of record. Reparations.design is operated by Neeley Worldwide Ltd (UK company no. 10288310). All contributions — Stripe under $10,000, Xero invoices at $10,000 and above — are collected by Neeley Worldwide Ltd. Confessions are free to submit and publish; no payment is ever required.
Where the money goes. 100% of every contribution, less payment-processor fees, funds scholarships at the School of Critical Design — covering course places for recipients and the cost of delivering them.
Who awards. Scholarship decisions are made by the School of Critical Design Scholarship Committee, on the basis of need and demonstrated commitment to critical, ethical, and reflective design practice.
Tax status. Contributions are entirely voluntary, buy nothing, are not charitable donations, and are not tax-deductible. The School of Critical Design is a training programme operated by a private limited company, not a registered charity.
We publish a yearly summary of what we collect and award, so the funding is visible rather than asserted.
| Period | Contributions collected | Scholarships awarded | Recipients |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 — via this ledgerReparations.design, from launch | $10 | — | — |
| Pre-2026 — School historyAwarded by the School before this ledger existed | $23,000+ | 147 | anonymised |
The two rows are different things and are not interchangeable. The pre-2026 row is the School of Critical Design’s own funding history, which pre-dates this ledger entirely and was not raised here. The 2026 row is what Reparations.design itself has collected — currently $10, and small on purpose while Volume I is young. Updated yearly; the first annual summary publishes at the end of 2026. Figures are gross collected; payment-processor fees are deducted before allocation to the scholarship pool.
Visit critical.design to enroll, or write directly to the School to discuss financial accommodations for your situation.
Want to fund the next generation? Begin a confession— and give alongside it if you choose. 100% of every contribution, less payment-processor fees, funds the scholarship pool.