The Friends organisation grew out of the Liverpool Road Station Society which was established in 1978 by David Rhodes to save the station site. The Friends of the Greater Manchester Museum of Science and Industry had its inaugural public meeting in 29 July 1983, 2 months before the museum opened. It became a registered charity in 1985, and at the same time, the Liverpool Road Station Society formally wound down and transferred its assets to the Friends.

The Air and Space Museum merged with the Science and Industry in 1985. The Friends organisation of the respective museums also merged.