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Climate change impacts are increasing, leading to more frequent, longer and more severe droughts and other climatic events. The complexity of these issues requires proportional systems-based adaptation and transformation approaches to build resilience and achieve sustainability. The Australian and State and Territories governments commit to sustainability, adaptation and resilience to a changing climate in the National Statement on Climate Change and Agriculture. These commitments are reflected in multiple governmental initiatives and programs, one of which is the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry's Future Drought Fund (FDF). The FDF offers a unique pathway to achieving sustainability through building drought and climate resilience, founded on robust scientific principles of social-ecological resilience. The FDF supports farmers and communities to learn about, be prepared for, and have the capacity and options to respond to drought and other climatic shocks, including through transformational change. The FDF programs fund projects, including in the rangelands, to achieve its objectives. This paper discusses how the FDF implements resilience principles and fosters collaboration and collective adaptive learning and action to achieve shared resilience and sustainability outcomes. Progress to date is presented and links to case studies of successful and impactful FDF-funded projects are provided. Lessons learned, opportunities and challenges facing FDF highlight the important role it can play in sup porting resilient social-ecological systems in Australia.