The Catholic Church donated the building where the Spanish Apostolate was housed at Holy Redeemer Church to Ibero. This first office was located at 938 Clifford Avenue in the heart of the city, where day–to-day operations and services were handled by a staff of eight.  Its purpose was to provide resources to the growing Hispanic community in the area.  Many of these families left Puerto Rico to work on farms in the Rochester area and as new arrivals, needed many services. 

The Ibero-American Action League, Inc. quickly established deep roots in the Rochester community.  Many of the programs were geared towards helping those in need, especially Hispanics, so they could gain the necessary skills to raise their socioeconomic status and self-sufficiency.  The Bilingual Secretarial Training Program and the Skilled Trades Programs were two examples of the agency’s many initiatives during that time.

In 1969, Ibero helped launch the Rochester Puerto Rican Festival, parade and pageant: a weeklong celebration of Puerto Rican culture and music. The Puerto Rican Festival is still an independent volunteer committee and the festival is the longest running festival in the Rochester region.

In 1971, the Ibero-American Action League established the Puerto Rican Arts and Cultural Center at 954 Clifford Avenue, on the corner of Clinton avenue and Clifford. Ibero also established the Biblioteca Manuel Alonso, a library stocked with Spanish-language books for the community.

In 1974 Ibero launched the Ibero-American Credit Union to offer financial services to the underserved communities of the Northeast Rochester. The Credit Union offered neighborhood banking and loans with bilingual staff.

In 1975, Ibero completed the construction of Los Flamboyanes. The 153-unit project included the iconic high rise building on North Clinton Avenue surrounded by town houses for families. At the time it was the largest affordable housing project in the country built by a Latino organization.

In 1981, the  Ibero Puerto Rican Arts and Cultural Center launched the Borinquen Dance Theater to preserve and promote traditional Latin dance and music.

The Ibero-American Development Corporation was established in 1986 as an affiliate of the Ibero-American Action League, Inc. (IBERO) under the name Pueblo Home Development Corporation. In 1995, the name of the Corporation was changed to Ibero-American Development Corporation.

In 1998, Julio Vázquez, the President and CEO of Ibero American Action League, saw the Charter School Legislation as an opportunity to improve the educational alternatives for city students. Ibero sponsored the development of the Eugenio María de Hostos Charter School. In March of 2000, SUNY approved the application and a charter was issued authorizing the establishment of the Eugenio María de Hostos Charter School. The school welcomed its first group of 120 Kindergarten through second-grade students in September 2000. During its first charter, the school grew to include grades K – 6. The middle school grades were added in September 2010. During its third renewal, the school was authorized to expand from 2 sections to 4 sections per grade level and to add the high school grades. EMHCS now offer bilingual education from kindergarten to the 12^th grade.

In 2015, Ibero launched the first 24-hour Latin radio station in the state, outside of New York City. Poder 97.1 FM WEPL first broadcast was on November 30^th, 2015 and after a social media contest, “Vivir la Vida” by Marc Anthony was chosen to be the first song ever broadcast on the air.

In May 2015, Centro Civico entered into an intent merger relationship with Ibero-American Action League and in October 2020 the two entities were legally merged, with Ibero as the surviving entity. Incorporated in 1986, Centro Civico has served the immigrant, refugee and Latino community in the Capital Region and surrounding counties. Together we serve a large regional area of upstate New York including 6 counties in the Capital Region, 5 counties of the Mohawk Valley, and Monroe County.

In 2016, Ibero-American Development Corporation produced the El Camino Charrette & Vision Plan, which highlighted the needs and desires of the El Camino neighborhood. In that plan, the theme of creating an “International Avenue” to celebrate the various cultural assets along North Clinton Avenue emerged. One project identified in the El Camino Vision Plan was the International Plaza (formerly known as La Marketa). The vision was to create a plaza across from the iconic St. Michael’s church infused with cultural activities, vibrancy, vendors and a social gathering space. In the Fall of 2020, after years of strategy and advocacy, that vision became realized and the International Plaza was constructed and opened to the public. Today, the Plaza is known for its Sunday Market Days and cultural events and a beacon of hope in the heart of the Latinx community. 

Ibero American Investors Corporation (IAIC), in partnership with Ibero American Action League, launched the Ibero Business Center (IBC) in early 2021. With multiple locations in the Finger Lakes, WNY, and soon Mohawk Valley region, IBC assists minority/women owned business enterprises across upstate NY. IBC specialized in the launching stages of a business life cycle by providing cohort style business courses, business pitch competitions, one on one business coaching, and business incubation (this service is currently limited to the City of Rochester). The IBCs are a fast growing service of Ibero as more and more bilingual business cohorts are launched in counties outside of the City of Rochester, making Ibero an Upstate NY entrepreneurial service organization.

In 2023, Ibero moved their headquarters to the St. Michael’s campus. Now located at 124 Evergreen Street, in the former convent, Ibero provided the first step in the revitalization of the entire St. Michael’s campus into a vibrant neighborhood multiple-service center. This move brought the Ibero leadership team ‘home,’ for the first time after 38 years and during a time when most resources are leaving the neighborhood.

Today Ibero has evolved into an agency that serves individuals and families of all ethnic backgrounds, and our unique ability to target the Latino community remains unprecedented in this region. We have offices in Rochester, Buffalo, Albany, Amsterdam and Geneva. We’ve grown from eight employees to over 300 staff and owns Rochester’s first 24-hour Latin radio station, Poder 97.1 FM.