Originally founded in 1970, incorporated in 1989 as the South Manitou Memorial Society and re-chartered in 2003 as the Manitou Islands Memorial Society, the group now functions as a "Friends" organization supporting the Islands Unit of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (NPS). MIMS provides research, educational and interpretive services. MIMS also supports the restoration and maintenance of physical island assets and historic landscapes. Such mission projects are supported by funding and volunteerism.