The purpose sounds like it could be fulfilled in a nonprofit organization that is recognized as a charity by the IRS. The bottom line question is how you will obtain the financial resources to do what you want to do. If people will pay you for your work, there may be no need to become a charity. If you will succeed only through grants and contributions from individuals, corporations or foundations, you need to be a charity to give deductibility to the gifts. You can be paid a reasonable salary from a nonprofit, but, unlike a business, you can't sell out at a later date and personally keep the value you have built.