The founding body of the Escola Superior Artística do Porto (ESAP) is the Cooperativa de Ensino Superior Artístico do Porto (CESAP), a non-profit organisation of public utility, set up in May 1982 and legalised by public deed in Diário da República no. 202, III series, of 1 September 1982, with operating authorisation granted by Order 129/MEC/ 86 of 28 June.

Its location in the centre of Porto is a strategic choice that has contributed to significant interaction with the local community and the urban environment in which it is located. ESAP is a UNESCO associated school and has established various national and international protocols with universities and other artistic and cultural institutions.