this research paper is a sub-study of a five year social sciences and humanities research counci l of canada (sshrc) funded community-university research alliance project: improving quality oflife for people dying in long-term care homes, in progress from 2009 to 2013. this sub-study uses a comparative case study design and the canadian hospice palliative care association' s (chpca) model of practice as a framework to understand how the organizational infrastructure of two long-term care (ltc) homes affects their capacity to develop and deliver formal palliative care programs. the three main goals of this sub-study were: 1 ) to identify resources and functions within the two ltc homes that serve as enablers to support palliative care development and delivery; 2) to identify current gaps and barriers that influence the development and delivery of formal palliative care programs within these two care homes ; and 3 ) t o determine a list of priorities for change a t the organizational level i n e fforts t o make the ltc homes more successful during the development and delivery their own formalized palliative care programs.