Originally the Artpool project was defined as an Avant-garde arts ‘archive’, then as an "Active Archive" which meant that it sought new forms of social action, organised various events and proactively participated in processes ongoing at the time, while documenting and archiving it all, and freely sharing information.
The Artpool Art Research Center has been operating by its founders from 1992 till 2015 as a non-profit organisation, first sponsored by the municipality of Budapest and then by the ministry of culture and funds through tendering. From 2015 the invaluable material of Artpool has been made part of the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest. Since then Artpool continues its operation as a department, a separate unit of the Museum of Fine Arts.