Is the 501 non-profit organization a better tool to raise funds for?
If you are trying to raise funds in the US, using a 501(c)(3) organization with tax-exempt status (the two conditions are not totally synonymous) is the best way to provide your donors with tax-except status for their contributions and a measure of accountability for the use of the funds. Technically, anyone can request fundsand anyone can donatefor any purpose without going through an organization. However, most donors will not contribute in a meaningful way to any cause that does not have the charitable organizational structure behind it. I would also research US or international organizations that support the sort of laboratory you are seeking to build. It may be that an existing organization would take you under their wing without your having to create a 501(c)(3) on your own. I know of one organization working in western Tanzania that served as a conduit for contributions for a school in the north, near Arusha, because the donor was also one of its contributors.