The International Museum of Women (I.M.O.W.), originally called the Women's Heritage Museum (W.H.M.), was founded in 1985 when Jeanne McDonnell, Anne Murray, and Jane Van Dusen signed the papers of incorporation. The mission of this social change museum was to value the lives of women around the world. The museum documented women's history through exhibits and sponsored a variety of programs focused on educating the public and improving the status of women.

The first public program held by the museum provided historical information on the California suffragist Sarah Wallis, and was held in a park named for her. In 1985, the museum also published the Women's Heritage Museum News, a quarterly newsletter that was eventually distributed nationally. After its inception, the museum created several exhibits documenting women's history. Since the museum lacked a permanent building, the exhibits were loaned to various museums and venues for display. California Woman Suffrage 1870-1911 opened in 1986 and was shown in the California State Capitol and the National Women's Hall of Fame in Senca Falls, New York. Progress of the Women's World featured the works of 70 artists from over 50 countries and was displayed in the visitors lobby of the United Nations in 2000. The museum also sponsored local events, including an annual book fair, a program to provide educators with resources for Women's History Month, tours of the Juana Briones House, and the reenactment of historical events. In addition, the museum organized tours to sites of interest in women's history.

At a 1997 board meeting hosted by Eliabeth Colton, the members decided to take the museum in a new direction. Along with changing the name to the International Museum of Women (I.M.O.W.), the board began plans to secure a permanent exhibit space in San Francisco. The Presidio Project was a plan to convert a building at Presidio Park into a museum space for the I.M.O.W. The board also attempted to build a museum site at Pier 26 in San Francisco. These projects ultimately failed due to lack of funding and the economic downturn. In addition, the I.M.O.W. initiated a speaker series, sponsoring lectures from authors, artists, and political figures.

In 2005, the institution decided to "focus on creating a new kind of museum that would engage and impact women around the world" through a digital environment (International Museum of Women, 2010). They supported this initiative through the creation of several online exhibits, including the 2006 exhibit Imagining Ourselves: A Global Generation of Women, which won the Anita Borg Social Impact Award. The I.M.O.W. also built strategic relationships with organizations that shared similar goals.