The mission of the World AIDS Museum is to increase awareness of the AIDS epidemic by documenting the history of HIV/AIDS, remembering the people who suffered from this disease, educating people about HIV/AIDS, enlightening the world to this continuing tragedy and empowering the survivors.

The World AIDS Museum idea grew out of the Fort Lauderdale based group, Pozitive Attitudes, a topic driven support group for people infected or affected by HIV. Around 2007, the facilitator of this group, Steve Stagon, started creating historical HIV/AIDS exhibits as topics for discussion. Eventually, Steve began to display these exhibits at the Pride Center of South Florida as well as at Blanche Ely High School. As HIV/AIDS exhibits by other artists had also been displayed at the Pride Center, and other members of the Pozitive Attitudes group also showed interest, the idea of a museum took hold and on September 20, 2011, the World AIDS Museum was incorporated as a non-profit organization.