[2] In 2014, she was honored for her contributions to the Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños (Center for Puerto Rican Studies) archive at Hunter College of the City University of New York.
[2] During the course of her career, Fontanez has worked for a variety of government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and political campaigns.
[5] She has served as one of the first Latina commissioners of the Boston Fair Housing Commission, was the founding member and associate director of the South End Community Health Center,[6][5] a family case worker for South End Neighborhood Action Program,[7] and worked as a business manager for the City of Boston Business Development Office.
[8] She has also been a grassroots community activist, and in 1994[7] helped found and served as a director of Casa Esperanza's Latinas y Niños, a residential treatment facility focused on the needs of Latina women,[5][9][2] including to allow mothers to maintain custody of their children while they complete treatment, as well as additional supports such as job training and parenting classes.
[7] She has also served as a board member of Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción (IBA),[1] Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries, and the South End Community Health Center.