FAQ & Contact
Answers to the most common questions about ArtaQuest — courses, certificates, Points, bursaries, and what we believe about knowledge, AI, and thinking for yourself.
Donations & ArtaQuest coins
How do I donate?
Go to the Donate page, pick or enter an amount, and continue to checkout. Choose PayPal or Interac e-Transfer; you will see send-money instructions immediately. We confirm receipt within 1–2 business days.
What is an ArtaQuest coin?
A unit of contribution. 1 USD donated = 1 coin. Coins live in your ArtaQuest coin wallet alongside the points you earn for completing lessons, passing quizzes, and finishing certificates.
Why is the donation in USD?
The foundation banks in Canada, so checkout is denominated in Canadian dollars. PayPal donors outside Canada can pay in their local currency; PayPal handles the conversion and Interac is for Canadian bank accounts.
What can I do with coins?
Coins count toward the creator ladder. Hit 10,000 and you become a Teaching Assistant — you can curate and edit public content. Hit 100,000 and you become an Instructor — you can publish your own courses. We may add more uses (course unlocks, certificate-fee credit) over time, and existing balances always carry forward.
Can I get a tax receipt?
Every donation triggers an email confirmation that doubles as a record. For gifts above USD 500 we issue a formal receipt on letterhead — email support@artaquest.org with your order number.
Can I get my donation back?
Donations are non-refundable in general (see the Refund Policy), except for duplicate or unauthorised payments. Coins credited for a refunded donation are reversed.
Learning & Courses
Is it really free?
Watching is free. Every lecture, on every course, plays in full — that is the Audit tier, and it has no time limit, no trial, and no card on file.
Taking the attention quizzes that come with each lesson — the ones that earn you a certificate at the end — costs the equivalent of one US dollar per hour of video (charged in USD; shown in your local currency). A two-hour course is about $2; a sixty-hour course is about $60. The price is set automatically from the run-time, so a course can never quietly become expensive.
No subscription. No free trial that flips to paid. Nothing on auto-renew. If the quiz fee is still a barrier, the bursary programme covers it for learners who need it.
Do I need an account?
A free account is required to track progress, earn Points, and access certificates. Registration takes under two minutes and needs only an email address.
What subjects does ArtaQuest cover?
Two, and how they meet: fundamental physics — how the world works, from gases to galaxies to information and intelligence — and humanitarian philosophy — why we use what we learn, and who it serves. Science explains the how; philosophy holds the why. We teach them together because each one without the other is incomplete.
Are courses self-paced?
Yes. No deadlines, cohorts, or live sessions. Study when and where it suits you.
Can I take courses if I am under 18?
Learners aged 13 and over may register with parental or guardian consent. Certificate purchases require the account holder to be 18 or older, or to have a parent or guardian complete the transaction.
Certificates & Points
How do I earn a certificate?
Course access (with certificate) is auto-priced at roughly one US dollar per hour of video (charged in USD; shown in your local currency), paid once. There is no separate certificate fee — the price you see when you enrol is everything. Complete all lessons and pass the course assessment, and your PDF certificate is generated automatically. Bursaries are available if you cannot pay; apply from any course page.
Why does a certificate cost money if the course is free?
Certificate fees keep the platform running without dependence on grants, governments, or tech companies — funding that always arrives with conditions attached. They also fund the bursary programme, which covers the full course cost for learners who need it. The fee marks genuine work: it can only be unlocked by completing the course, never bought without it. Learners who cannot afford it can apply for a bursary.
What are Points?
Points are awarded for completing courses and earning certificates. They unlock early access to new courses, bonus materials, and eligibility for the instructor pathway. Points never expire.
Becoming an Instructor
Can I teach on ArtaQuest?
Yes. Two tiers unlock automatically on the creator ladder. At 10,000 points you become a Teaching Assistant and can curate and edit public content — no review. At 100,000 points the Apply button opens in your dashboard for the Instructor tier, and a short call with the content team follows. The call is one depth check: can you teach a difficult idea clearly? That is the only filter — no credentials, no pedigree, no quota. See the Careers page.
Do instructors get paid?
Approved instructors keep 97% of every certificate fee their students pay — the highest revenue share in online education. The remaining 3% funds platform maintenance and development. There are no paid executives, no sales team, and no shareholders to pay first.
Bursaries & Financial Support
I cannot afford the certificate fee. What can I do?
Apply for a bursary. Our bursary programme waives certificate fees for learners who demonstrate low income. The process is confidential and takes about five minutes. Learn more.
What proof of income do I need for a bursary?
One document is enough: a CRA Notice of Assessment, a government benefit letter (AISH, Alberta Works, Income Support, or equivalent), a credit rating report classifying your income as Low, or another means-tested document.
About ArtaQuest
Is ArtaQuest a registered organisation?
Yes. ArtaQuest Foundation is incorporated under the Societies Act (Alberta) with its registered office in Edmonton. It operates exclusively for educational purposes and distributes no profit to members. The non-profit structure is deliberate — it protects the platform’s independence from being acquired, monetised, or quietly steered off its mission.
What is ArtaQuest’s position on AI?
An AI is trained to minimise entropy — to collapse a world of possibilities into its single most likely answer. As a tool, that is powerful. As a substitute for thinking, it quietly narrows what people believe is possible, and rewards the habit of accepting the average answer over working one out. It also burns a great deal of energy to do it. ArtaQuest was built in response: not against the technology, but for the human faculty it cannot replace — the ability to think for yourself, and to widen a question the machine has narrowed.
Does ArtaQuest promote a particular ideology or worldview?
No. We do not advocate for any tradition, denomination, or political position, and we accept no funding that would pull us toward one. We teach how the world works and how to reason clearly about why it matters — and we present the strongest honest case for competing positions rather than handing you a conclusion. The platform is for people who value intellectual honesty over belonging to a side.
Where does ArtaQuest’s funding come from?
Two sources: certificate fees (97% to instructors, 3% to platform maintenance and development) and donations from independent individuals. We deliberately do not accept money from religious organisations, governments, corporate sponsors, tech and AI companies, political organisations, or agenda-driven foundations. The full list of restricted sources, and the reasoning behind each, is on our Donate page. Our funding mix is published annually so anyone can verify it.
Does ArtaQuest have charitable status for tax receipts?
Not yet. We are a registered non-profit but have not yet obtained CRA charitable registration. We are working toward it and will notify all donors when official tax receipts become available.
Send Us a Message
Use the form below and we will respond within 3–5 business days. For bursary inquiries, please visit the Bursary Programme page.