Government labs, scientific agencies (NASA et al), or any FFRDC might be a good fit. Also old-hat industrial labs. Defense and defense contractors can also be good, if you don't mind that type of work. They don't care much about vanity metrics like publications at top X conferences, and they don't move at the fast pace of product-oriented groups in tech companies.
You can also start an LLC and fund it through SBIR/STTR and/or transition-to-practice style grants, but you'll have to hire a professional admin staff and pay them more than you're making if you want the type of life you're describing (and it'll take some years).
Gov labs aren't too bad, but funding often comes with a lot of conditions. Generally you have unconditional funding for weapons but if you can find your own funding you can research whatever you want. I'd rather not do weapons and it is a reason I've moved away from that route. Also these are mostly hard science type research (physics, chem, climate, etc) and less interested in doing things like building general intelligence. SBIRS are typically too high of a TRL but STTRs are a good route and tend to be more basic research. I am looking into that. But I've also been in the SBIR/STTR life and boy is it a lot of writing.
You can also start an LLC and fund it through SBIR/STTR and/or transition-to-practice style grants, but you'll have to hire a professional admin staff and pay them more than you're making if you want the type of life you're describing (and it'll take some years).