A consumer advocate, Julie Kalkowski has worked directly with at-risk members of Omaha metropolitan area to find financial stability, helping them better manage their finances and avoid falling into cyclical debt. The Financial Hope Collaborative and its Financial Success Program, housed at Creighton University's Heider College of Business have been instrumental in helping many low-income families find financial stability. She was a member of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Advisory Board before it was disbanded. Kalkowski and a group of faculty from Creighton University received a $399,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in 2017 to study the health outcomes of women who participate in the Financial Success Program.