CLEVELAND, Ohio - Starting Saturday, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is free to all Cleveland residents for at least the next 10 years.

It's a move that Rock Hall CEO Greg Harris said should more than double the number of Clevelanders who visit the museum, which draws a large portion of its guests - at least 80 percent - from outside the region.

The initiative, dubbed the CLE VIP program, is being funded by a $10 million grant from the KeyBank Foundation, and was announced at a celebration Saturday morning at the Rock Hall.

In an interview before the announcement, Harris acknowledged that the museum, open since 1995, "has this perception of being a place for out-of-towners, for others."

He added, "We want people here to understand that all are welcome. They are as important to us as those who travel great distances."

According to museum estimates, fewer than 5 percent of the museum's guests come from the city. In 2017, the museum attracted 568,000 visitors, including between 20,000 and 25,000 from Cleveland.

Harris said he believes cost is a barrier that has prevented many Clevelanders from coming to the museum, which already offers discounted admission to a broader group of Northeast Ohio residents. Northeast Ohio residents pay $19, while the general public pays $23.

Since 2002, the Rock Hall has offered free admission on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January, when attendance spikes, particularly among Cleveland residents, according to Harris.

"We want them to be welcome every day, not one day," said Harris. "We want it to be 365 days."

In an emailed statement, KeyCorp CEO Beth Mooney said that access to arts and culture is an important part of the bank's mission to create thriving communities.

"The Rock Hall is both a national and local treasure," she said. "Through this grant we are not only providing free access to Clevelanders over the next decade but we are working to preserve the museum for future generations."

The grant, which was announced in April, is the largest in the museum's history, and also includes naming rights for the museum's new Hall of Fame gallery, which will be "presented by KeyBank."

In addition to free admission, the CLE VIP program includes other perks for Cleveland residents: a separate, shorter entry line, plus a complimentary beverage at the museum cafe. "We will treat them like they're part of the family," said Harris.

In recent years, the Rock Hall has unveiled a series of additions and improvements designed to boost the museum's stature and attendance, both locally and around the world. Among the improvements: a new theater, a gallery focused on Hall of Fame inductees, and more robust programming, including a summer concert series.

Of course, those improvements aren't meaningful for people who can't afford to come to the museum.

Said Harris: "This is an opportunity to better serve our immediate community. This will allow our closest neighbors to better connect with our museum - and for us to connect with our neighbors."

The agreement with Key calls for free admission for 10 years, though that may be extended, said Harris.

City of Cleveland residents will need to show proof of residency such as a driver's license or state ID at the Rock Hall box office to receive free admission.