Unfortunately many people will stop at your past, and it ends there. They will not consider or appreciate you coming forward. Personally, I could not care less. I care about the project, not the person behind it. Of course when it comes to funding the project (or someone with a past like yours), that complicates things. Maybe you should be as transparent as possible with the money? In any case, I am not sure what I would do and I do not have the means to donate anyways.