The IAM is a private, non-profit organization and the only state-wide grassroots group devoted to serving Idaho museums. Established in the late 1970s, the IAM is a volunteer organization funded by membership and conferences fees, and since 1990, interest from a small endowment from the Idaho Centennial Commission.

Despite its meager budget, the IAM has an excellent record of accomplishments. It publishes a newsletter three times a year, holds annual conferences, and through grants has offered statewide workshops on conservation, volunteer programs, traveling exhibits, and educational programs. The IAM's most visible and widely distributed project is the brochure, Discover Idaho's Museums, which is funded by the Idaho Travel Council.

As an advocate for Idaho museums over the past years the IAM successfully lobbied the Idaho Legislature to pass a law allowing tax credits for donations to museums, and later convinced the legislature to approve a bill to exempt Idaho museums from paying sales taxes on purchases and admissions income.

The Idaho Association of Museums represents 70 member institutions that span almost as many topics of interest. The IAM Board represents all regions of the state and a cross-section of the diversity of its members.