Complexly is now a 501c3 nonprofit!

February 6, 2026

Until now, Complexly has always been a company privately owned by Hank and John Green, but we are thrilled to announce that Hank and John have donated the company to the public as a new nonprofit 501c3 organization!

This structural change will help Complexly fulfill its mission for decades to come. We’ve always been driven by our mission of creating trustworthy stuff and lowering barriers to knowledge building. Becoming a nonprofit means we will be able to lean into public support, supercharging our mission to make content the world needs, not what is optimized for advertisers.

Look, it’s never been easier to find information, but it’s also never been harder to know what to trust. Over the past 14 years, We’ve been working hard to make educational content that has high standards and is still compelling. But we’re also well-positioned to do more.

In addition to accessing more support from foundations and grants, this change means we can accept tax-deductible donations from you! You can donate to support our work at any time at complexly.org, and if you already contribute to Complexly via Patreon, our donation page, or through fundraisers like the Crash Course Coin, some or all of your contribution may be tax-deductible. If your company matches donations, or if you want to make a major gift, Complexly is now eligible to receive those as well.

And don’t worry, our stuff stays the same. You will keep getting to watch Crash Course, SciShow, and our other stuff for free, forever! And we will get to keep making those things without commercial pressures or outside investors! You can rest assured that Complexly will be here in the long term for generations of viewers. This structural change doesn’t change the Complexly team. That goes for the folks directly making the shows, as well as the administration and leadership team. What’s changing is Complexly will have a volunteer board of directors overseeing the organization at a high level, and making sure that the mission is always put first.

Hank and John Green are still here—they will assemble the board for our nonprofit, and will continue to be involved as they have been for the last couple years, as advisors, cheerleaders, and sometimes on-screen talent for Complexly shows!

We’re excited as we enter this new chapter, with a new structure and the same mission, set up for an even bigger impact.

– Complexly