Lois Roth Foundation

Today, we celebrate the birthday of Lois Roth, the diplomat who inspires our mission and whose legacy continues to guide our work every single day.

Lois believed deeply in the power of cross-cultural dialogue, cooperation, and community. On her birthday, we honor not only her values but also enduring impact of her example. Happy Birthday, Lois. Your legacy lives on.

On this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we honor Dr. King’s legacy of inclusivity, dialogue, and service.

At the Lois Roth Foundation, we are inspired by his vision and will continue to advance understanding through exchange.

Translation and cross-cultural dialogue build stronger, more connected communities worldwide, but we can’t do it alone. Your gift to the Lois Roth Foundation funds programs that bring people together across borders.

Support us today and help our ideas travel further: https://loisrothfoundation.org/give/

2025 has been a year of dialogue, exchange, and impact.

From supporting Fulbright scholars to launching our inaugural Citizen's Diplomacy Award, the Roth Foundation has seen the power of cross-cultural dialogue in action.

Check out our Annual Review to see what we built together👉https://loisrothfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Lois-Roth-Endowement-2025-Web.pdf

The Modern Language Association has announced this year’s MLA–Roth Translation Award winner and honorable mentions.

Winner: Paul Reitter, Karl Marx’s Capital, Vol. 1
Honorable Mention: Alex Gil, Aimé Césaire’s …And the Dogs Were Silent
Honorable Mention: Fiona Graham, The Rocks Will Echo Our Sorrow, amplifying Sámi voices and histories

This award honors the legacy of Lois W. Roth, who believed deeply in literature and translation as tools for cultural understanding and global connection. Congratulations to all awardees!

The Lois Roth Foundation and the Public Diplomacy Council of America (PDCA) are pleased to announce the inaugural winners of the Richard T. Arndt Prize for an Outstanding Work on Cultural Diplomacy.

Co-Winners:
Dr. Nicholas Cull (USC) — Reputational Security: Refocusing Public Diplomacy for a Dangerous World

Dr. Pete Millwood (University of Melbourne) — Improbable Diplomats: How Ping-Pong Players, Musicians, and Scientists Remade U.S.-China Relations

Honorable Mention:
Dr. Elisabeth Piller (University of Freiburg) — Selling Weimar: German Public Diplomacy and the United States, 1918–1933

Congratulations to the authors for their outstanding contributions!

Giving Tuesday responds to the needs of our global community. For 38 years, the Lois Roth Foundation has focused on our human need for culture, by supporting cross-cultural dialogue across national, linguistic, and cultural boundaries. We help exchange students expand their projects in the humanities, arts and social sciences; we honor both citizen and professional cultural diplomats; and we help amplify literary voices from around the globe.

Please give today and help us to continue fostering cross-cultural dialogue. https://loisrothfoundation.org/give/

Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday!

We’re gearing up for a big day of giving, and we’d love your support. Support literature, scholarly research, and exchanges that bring cultures closer together.

🍂 Happy Thanksgiving from the Lois Roth Foundation!

As we approach the end of the year, we are especially grateful for the incredible community of alums and friends who believe in the power of cross-cultural dialogues.

Thanks to your support, scholars and young leaders can explore new places and share new ideas, attention is brought to exceptional new translations, and the work of cultural diplomats is applauded.

If you are looking for a way to give back this fall, please consider supporting the full range of Roth Foundation programs! Give now at https://loisrothfoundation.org/give/

Wishing you and yours a lovely Harvest season!

🍂 Happy Thanksgiving from the Lois Roth Foundation!

As we approach the end of the year, we are especially grateful for the incredible community of alums and friends who believe in the power of cross-cultural dialogues. Thanks to your support, scholars and young leaders can explore new places and share new ideas, attention is brought to exceptional new translations, and the work of cultural diplomats is applauded.

If you are looking for a way to give back this fall, please consider supporting the full range of Roth Foundation programs! Give now at https://loisrothfoundation.org/give/

Wishing you and yours a lovely Harvest season!

The Roth Foundation is proud to join Association of International Educators and campuses around the world in celebrating International Education Week. This month’s Lois Letter highlights updates from three Project Support Award alums whose work continues to inspire and carry forward Lois Roth’s legacy.

Don’t miss their stories! Check out our newsletter ➡

Project Support Alum Updates | Roth Foundation We stand with the Association of International Educators (NAFSA), its partner institutions, and countless colleges and universities in observing International Education Week as usual, from November 17-21, 2025. This edition of our Lois Letter contributes to its global observance with news from three...

🌟Alumna Spotlight: Kristina Nielsen (2023 Project Support Award for Denmark)🌟

When Kristina first began her research on multiculturalism in Denmark supported by the Project Support Award, she was an assistant professor at Southern Methodist University. Since then, she has earned tenure and transformed her original project into new articles and a forthcoming book, Aztec Music and Dance in California.

Congratulations on this major accomplishment, Kristina! We can’t wait to see what you do next.